Crimson
by Kazuya-sama
Summary: He's returned from the firey pit he was thrown in 20 years ago, with not one scar or blemish as a trophy of his trip. And if he didn't seem supernatural before, look at him now.
1. Resurrection

A/N: This is another one of my random ideas, that I'll probably never finish, and continue at randomly spaced intervals. I have too many ideas. The storyline: A mucked up version of Tekken 4 – no G-Corp intervention. Then how does the hero come into all of this?

Disclaimer: I dun own Tekken.

***

The semi-finals had been a disaster. Neither of the fighters had shown up, which meant only one thing; Heihachi had won the tournament.  
  
Violet growled furiously, sweeping everything off his desk and onto the floor in a shattering cacophony loud enough to be heard in all the surrounding floors of the Mishima Zaibatsu accommodation setup. He couldn't believe it; with all his supposed skill, with all of his efforts, everything had gone to waste. He was so certain he'd win the Zaibatsu that he hadn't even considered failure. And now, that old bastard had once again affirmed his ownership of the Zaibatsu. The news on a piece of paper sitting in front of him had just ruined it all, ruined everything…everything. He ripped the paper to shreds.

With nothing further to look forward to, Violet began to pack up his gear, and head back home. As he pulled open the wardrobe and began to empty it, he found himself thinking about the rumours that had floated around the entire tournament proceedings over the last couple of days. The rumours of a man he _knew_ died twenty years ago, being alive and well, and fighting in the tournament. He didn't believe the lies for a second of course, but something concerned him deeply all the same. He'd had a passing word with one of the new fighters – a young British boy – and he claimed to have fought someone who fitted the perfect description of his long passed brother. It couldn't have been Jin, since he hadn't fought Steve at all. It had to be someone pretending to be the long dead former Zaibatsu CEO, because there was no way in hell Kazuya Mishima could have survived plunging into the mouth of a live volcano.

He decided to push it from his mind, not let it worry him. There was no point, it was all over now. Silencing his fevered thoughts, Violet continued to pack his bags. There would be a flight home he could take tomorrow, and allow his life to go back to what might be considered normal.

*

And from two poles at the centre of the arena, chains dangled. The Dojo was silent, except for the light fluttering of flames from ornamental lamps set against the four walls. From the chains, glistening in the orange light, hung a young man, unconscious, half naked. 

Before him stood the old man himself, admiring his handiwork. Dressed in nothing but his black fighting gi, he stood, arms folded over his chest, smirking. The puzzle was nearly complete. And thankfully, hopefully, with the blood samples retained from well over thirty years ago, the other half of the puzzle, Kazuya's Devil gene, would be put in place within hours.

The fact that it was all a theory didn't bother Heihachi one bit. The theory ran as such; Jin and Kazuya were carriers of a gene that allowed them to transform into the Devil form in one way or another. It was originally a mutation, but a successful one in Kazuya's case, and he'd handed it down to his son. As much as he hated the both of them, more than anything, they'd presented him with the perfect opportunity to obtain everything he'd dreamed of. With Ogre's genetic information, and both parts of the Devil gene, theoretically, he would he able to be transformed into the ultimate being of power. But it was just a theory. But he didn't care.

Despite himself, he let the sweet words slip past his lips. "Kazama Jin…you are mine. And so is that precious gift of yours."

A voice interrupted the moment. A very deep, powerful voice, though kept low enough to barely be heard. It was familiar; familiar enough to send a rush of dread beneath Heihachi's skin, and hatred up and down his spine. It spoke clearly, and with an all-too-familiar arrogance. "Or not…"

He whipped around toward the source of the voice – the huge wooden doors, which he had presumed were locked tight. His old eyes widened with shock and dread; it was not a sight he'd ever dreamed of seeing again, and had prayed he never would from the moment he last kissed it goodbye. Standing before him, casually, arms folded loosely over a dark-shirted chest, was none other than his hated blood son. Kazuya.

He couldn't find the words to say; but clearly Kazuya had plenty of them to share. "Surprised to see me, Old Man? You shouldn't be. You should have known from the moment you tried to kill me the first time that I have a habit of defying death." The younger man stepped forward into the glow of the torches – and Heihachi, who had just found words to say, immediately lost them to the wind once more. Kazuya was not what he'd expected a moment before. His face and hands – the only exposed flesh from beneath the dark clothing – had an unfamiliar pallor, though he still retained most of that natural bronze in his skin. His eyes were hidden behind shades, but he could tell the young man had not aged a day since he was thrown into the volcano. There were no blemishes on the youthful, somewhat pale skin, and there were no signs of age at all; wrinkles, obvious pores, receding hairline; none of it showed.

"You…"

Though no one could see, Kazuya rolled his dark eyes. Up until now, he hadn't displayed any emotion at all. But now, he pulled aside the shades, tossed them carelessly to the ground, and smirked. Indeed, his eyes confirmed the youth that was so apparent on the rest of his face and slender hands, and they still had that glow to them that everyone wrongly interpreted to be arrogance. "Yes, me. Go on, think of an insult. Just for old time's sake. I dare you."

Heihachi was still in too much shock. Hadn't he thrown him into that volcano oh so long ago? He had. And just as a protective measure, he'd had the Tekkenshu raid a rival company, G-Corporation, who he knew was doing research on biogenetics and its applications…and the 'Devil gene' theory was a sexy one for them to take up. The results of that raid: They'd not even heard of Kazuya, let alone use his body for experiments. The boy had definitely been dead all those years.

Or had he?

Getting no reply, Kazuya continued. "I see. Well, I suppose you have my son here to try and extract the fabled 'Devil gene'," the tone of his voice was almost soft with the mention of his only son. "But you may find your efforts fruitless…" He grinned. "Now do you have a reason to insult me? Go on, for old time's sake. I want to see if you've gotten any worse."

Heihachi's eye twitched. "You little shit, you'd better watch your mouth. Your very presence here will just make it easier for me to obtain the complete gene!"

Once again, Kazuya rolled his eyes. "I thought I just told you. It won't work. What are you, senile already?"

"What do you mean, won't work?! Everything's in place!"

Kazuya smirked. "There is no such thing as a Devil gene. There is no mutation, no gene, nothing! Nothing but a theory. Are you so gullible that you'd believe that crap?"

Suddenly Heihachi became worried. What if he was right? He glanced suspiciously into the eyes of his only son, and immediately doubted his words. Since when would Kazuya tell him the truth? "Would I be so gullible as to believe _you_ of all people? I think not."

He shrugged. "Alright, Old Man, have it your way. I promise I won't tell you 'I Told You So' when your pretty little plans go up in smoke. You'll already know I mean it without having to say it." He gave Heihachi no time to respond, and simply turned his back to him, and began to walk towards Jin. Heihachi took no second opportunities, and seized this one instead. Hidden within his robes was a short blade; he drew it forth, and reached forward, stabbing it into Kazuya's heart from behind.

Or at least, that was the plan.

Kazuya obviously sensed it coming or expected it, and spun around out of the way before Heihachi could react in any way. In fact, he moved almost too fast for him to see. Within the same second, Heihachi found himself being forced down onto his knees, the knife wrenched from his grasp, and unable to move, since his arms were held high behind him. From the painful grip, he could tell Kazuya was only using one hand to hold him, but with unnatural strength. He couldn't even struggle in the younger man's grasp! 

The blade clattered to the ground beside the two. "Nice try, Old Fart. Try picking on someone as lowly as yourself next time." For once, Kazuya's words had an element of truth for Heihachi's ears. Perhaps he shouldn't have underestimated him…but then again, the only people he'd seen that could move that fast were Yoshimitsu and Bryan Fury. Strength, likewise. 

He strained in the grasp, but to no avail. "Let me go, you dirty little rat…"

The grip didn't move. "Let my son down from there, and I'll consider it."

"I can't do a thing with you holding me, you son of a…"

Kazuya interrupted him before he could blindly insult the poor woman. "Since you love fancy new technology, I'm sure you could use a word and have the chains released, or call someone to do it for you!"

Heihachi growled. "You can hold me here all night, the Tekkenshu will arrive and kill you before it's through anyway! I will not release that little brat!"

Contemptuously, Kazuya threw his father aside, and approached the chained man. There were thick layers of iron chain around all four of his limbs; it sure didn't look easily dismantled. 

*

The whole time, he'd been conscious. Or at least, what he'd deemed the entire time. Heihachi's sudden words, addressed to him clearly, had roused him from his sleep, though at first he was too far gone to have even twitched in reaction. He didn't even know where he was, and in what orientation in space. As the second, much softer voice had joined the winds, he finally realised he was chained, hanging, and upright. It wasn't comfortable.

He'd decided to play it safe and fake unconsciousness once the arguing began, and in doing so, he'd learned that the younger voice was that of…his father. A man he'd never met, and never heard anything but negativity about. Personally, he never wanted to see or hear him, ever. Especially after everything Heihachi had told him. Everything he'd been led to believe. But somehow, it all seemed a little wishy-washy in light of the conversation he'd overheard. If Kazuya really didn't care for him or his mother, he wouldn't have bothered with his presence at all; but he referred to him at least twice, and demanded his release. Perhaps Heihachi was wrong; perhaps Kazuya really was a kind, caring person like he'd imagined in his youth.

A rustle of the chains to his left and a light tugging on his leg forced him to open his eyes to investigate. Glancing to his left, he found, to his surprise, that a young Japanese man had climbed most of the way up the smooth wooden pylon he was chained to. That must be his father! His brown eyes widened, and he inspected the man, who was making easy work of the pole; most people wouldn't be able to climb it if you paid them. He must be strong. After a moment, he saw the chains fall from his left ankle, and felt gravity take over. However, he didn't take his eyes off the enigma that had finally been solved within seconds, yet only aroused even more questions than he'd started with. What was he like? Did he love Jun? Why does he look so young? How did he know about him? Did he care for his only son?

"Take it easy, kid, I'm here to help." He'd obviously interpreted Jin's subconscious tugging on the chains as close to a hostile movement. 

Jin swallowed and nodded. "I know. You're my father…I heard everything."

Kazuya paused a moment, the climbed higher to try and release both arm chains at once. He'd already managed to release the chain around his right ankle, along with the left. After a moment, Jin felt the bonds loosen, and in the next second, he felt himself crashing to the ground. He landed on all fours, then sat up on his knees, rubbing his sore wrists. Kazuya landed next to him with a soft thud, and stood up.

"I hope you're proud of yourself, Kazuya. But I don't need Jin any longer! I shall still have your Devil genes!"

Kazuya rolled his eyes at the old man, and nodded his head toward the door. "You won't be needing us hanging around any longer then. We'll show ourselves out." He motioned for Jin to follow, and headed casually for the large wooden doors. As he passed by his father, he expected some sort of ambush…but not in the form of a knife.

Jin heard the sickening thud…and saw the blood-slathered tip of the knife poking through his father's back, sliced right through the fabric, ever so close to his own chest. A wave of nausea took over his senses, and he resisted the weakening in his knees, and swallowed the rising burning acid. But Kazuya never fell. In fact, he didn't even falter.

The blade was hilt-deep into his chest, but he didn't mind. In fact, he simply reached down and pulled it out. "Sorry Old Man, nice try, but it didn't work." He simply tossed the blade aside, as he'd done before, and carried on toward the door as if he didn't have blood slowly darkening his shirt front and back. Jin, still in a state of shock, quickly followed along behind him, unable to imagine what sort of a creature would be able to not even bother with a hit like that! It almost pierced his heart!

Heihachi seemed to be thinking the same thing as Jin. "What…are you?"

Kazuya turned, and smirked. "I'm not what you think." His grin was wider than his normal arrogant grins; and there was something wrong with his teeth.

After the two had eluded his grasp, it dawned on the old man. Those teeth; his canines were unnaturally long and sharp. But that aroused further questions: If he wasn't human, what did that make him? What had he become since his supposed death?


	2. Intervention

A/N: Long time no update. That's because I recently attended a Design conference in Melbourne, Australia – the AGIdeas conference – and had no access to the Internet or any of my files. At any rate, here's the first update since two weeks ago – more on other stories to come soon too.

***

It had come to the point that Kazuya had to literally drag his son through the pouring rain outside, navigating the pitch-black streets with supernatural ability, as if he'd had them memorised, or he could actually see in the lightless world. And Jin wasn't easy baggage to drag at all; though both men were five foot eleven, Jin was almost twice his size in width – while Kazuya was tall and slender, with only lean muscle to contain his formidable power, Jin had trained in a different style, most definitely had a much better diet as a youngster, and thus was heavily muscular.

Which, at times like this, made dragging him in the wet a nuisance.

"Jin, for Hell's sake, snap out of it and run! You're twisting my arm out of its socket…"

Jin, at the sound of his name, shook his head about and took his own weight back onto his legs. Once standing, he realised just how dark it was when he tried to follow the sound of his father's voice…only to find himself connecting with a nearby concrete wall.

"Itai! Shit, how'm I supposed to see where I'm going?"

In the darkness, Kazuya yet again rolled his eyes, and sighed softly over the pitter-patter of rain falling on the iron roofs above them. 

"I don't know, but I know my way around here," he retorted, grabbing Jin's hand in his own, "Just follow me and try not to walk into any more walls."

Jin frowned, and wiped the warm dampness from his eyes and cheeks with his free hand, and slicked his hair back out of his face. Kazuya's hand was strangely smooth and soft for that of a fighter, stranded out in the rain, and definitely not a spring chicken any longer. Though, at best, he could only guess the older male to be at most in his late twenties, physically. It was uncanny; he might as well have been his older brother. Before he could think about it any longer, he found himself being wrenched onward with surprising force from someone so tiny, being led blindly through dark alleyways he had absolutely no idea as to where they might be. 

It was a hair-raising race to wherever the older man was leading the both of them; ducking around corners, sliding over slippery ground, even up and down stairs. Though finally, to Jin's relief, there was an area of light from around a corner in the near distance, bathing the saturated concrete path before them in a golden, unnatural glow. Kazuya headed around the corner, only to find a tall, old wooden door with a spider web-strewn light bulb above it. After retrieving a set of keys from the pocket of his dark, drenched slacks, he jammed it in the door, turned it, and pushed the wooden object back with a rusty creak.

Within the old building there was worn down carpet, well-loved wooden banisters on the stairs to the right, and the distinct stench of aging materials – this place was in 'original condition'; left to rot.

A middle-aged woman stepped out from the door opposite the stairwell. She'd obviously been woken up by something recently, and not something to be taken lightly. In fact, she still had her dressing gown and curlers on, and there was a clear look of fear on her aging face, along with surprise in her old black eyes.

"Kazuya, you shouldn't have come back here!"

The youthful warrior turned his attention to the woman, raising a dark brow. "Nani?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Those mangy Tekkenshu…they tracked down your apartment and ransacked it, hoping to find you there. There's very little left upstairs that they didn't take as clues. I told them you hadn't lived there for a week or so, but I don't think they believed me…"

Jin, at this point completely disoriented, tired, hungry, and a little confused to say the least, just gave his father a look of surrender and leaned against the door, which had swung shut a little earlier.

Kazuya, on the other hand, didn't look surprised at all. "I'd expected it, Mrs Hayato. Thank you for informing me. We'd better make tracks; if the Tekkenshu know I was here, then it'd be stupidity to stay here."

For a moment she looked concerned, as she noticed the younger male standing away from the conversation. "You're both alright, aren't you?"

Kazuya nodded. "Yes, but we won't be if we stay for much longer." He wasn't fond of this particular residence anyway. The other residents tended to be old drunks or smelly students; he only stayed here because he had thought that Heihachi would figure that something like this would be the last place he would stay. Seems not, however.

After handing his key to Hayato, he turned to leave again. "Thanks for your help." With not another word, he motioned for Jin to follow him, and the two headed back out into the rain.

***

"So…why here?"

Jin's soft, deep voice echoed noisily about the bright marble floors and golden furnishings of one of the most well-known five-star hotels in Tokyo.

"It's a long way from that old apartment we went to a few hours ago – that, and it's the complete opposite. Besides, you should get a comfortable sleep, you're going to need it."

He grumbled, and glared at his dripping wet black and white gi pants. "We could have gone back to _my_ apartment…"

Kazuya shot him a look. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten that the old dirtbag has that information already…"

A slight blush fell across Jin's cheeks. "Oh yeah…" How'd he forget that? He's never done anything as air-headed as that.

The receptionist handed them both keycards, and the two headed for the lifts to the 14th floor. "I thought you needed rest…now I _know_ you need rest." Jin couldn't help but glare sleepily at his father for that comment, but didn't pursue it further. He'd always prided himself with having boundless energy and the ability to keep going through the early hours of the morning, so nearly falling asleep isn't exactly what he'd wanted to be seen doing. 

Once inside, they found to their dismay that it was a studio overnight room with one bed, a chair, a lamp, and a tiny bathroom attached. Jin didn't even have to ask, he knew that he'd be on the bed. After all, Kazuya didn't look tired at all, and it was two in the morning. Little time was left for sleeping.

After a quick rummage through the wardrobe Jin found a towel robe, which he put on over his still damp underwear – he'd taken his sopping wet pants off in the process and had tossed them next to the bed. He pulled back the covers and slid into the luxurious single bed, and glanced quickly over at his father – who'd taken up residence on the chair, with one elbow on the table in front of it – before finally succumbing to rest.


	3. Appreciation

A/N: Guess who just got DSL…MEH! That means there are now three internet computers, all networked. My life ish good at the mo. Hopefully that means more story every now and again. Oh and…I hope you like blood. Coming in the chappie after this. Enjoy.

***

Finally, he realised where he was.

Not at home, that was a given. Time to stop lying in bed dreaming, and come back to reality.

Sitting up and glancing around in the dark, Jin found himself wondering where his mysterious father was. He was groggy, and still partially asleep, but he spotted the dark figure still sitting by the tiny desk at the foot of the bed, slouched slightly, but definitely not asleep. 

With a deep yawn, he swung his feet out from under the thick covers and placed them down on the carpet, then slowly stretched his muscular arms above his head. The bones through his torso reacted with a series of synchronised cracks.

Easily hearing the sounds of the stirring to consciousness, Kazuya turned and looked over his shoulder toward the bed. Seeing Jin awake finally, he smiled slightly, and mimicked the stretching himself. Somehow he didn't seem to mind that the curtains were closed and the room was cramped, and it looked like he hadn't slept a wink. The strange part about that, was that he didn't look like he _needed_ to sleep a wink.

By now Jin's eyes had adjusted to the darkness in the room, and he remembered the previous evening's happenings. They were spurred with a somewhat stabbing pain of remembrance by the barely visible dark patch on the front and back of Kazuya's shirt; not to mention, the rather obvious tears in the fabric. The mere thought of the attempted murder – the sickening thud, the stench of blood, the bloodied knife – caused a wave of nausea to wash over the young man, and he forced back the stinging in his eyes. It was funny, wasn't it? Funny how it was possible for him to become so attached to a man he'd known for less than a day – a man he'd previously hated, only the day before. Now he felt his pain almost as badly as the sufferer himself. It seemed that the injury wasn't even bothering Kazuya at this time, and it most certainly didn't phase him one bit at the time of the stabbing, that was clear. But why?

"Otousan…?" Jin cleared his throat after the address, since his voice was slightly choked and cracked in the middle syllable.

"Nani?" Kazuya arched a brow, turning to face Jin.

"That wound…" He pointed groggily with a finger at the bloody stain on the dark shirt.

Looking down, Kazuya found himself being reminded of something he would have otherwise forgotten about. "Oh, that…"

Jin just sat there, waiting expectantly for an answer. Of course, Kazuya didn't want to give one. But both were stubborn men, and it would only be justice to give some form of roundabout reasoning for a seemingly bizarre occurrence.

"Let's just say that I have a few more abilities than your average human."

Jin frowned a little in confusion. "What do you mean? How?"

As usual, Kazuya delivered a cryptic smirk. "You'll learn one day."

Saying nothing more, the older Mishima stood and headed toward the…kitchen thing…which happened to be a refrigerator with a kettle on top. Looks like there wouldn't be too much for breakfast this morning. Taking a peek inside the fridge, he noticed there really wasn't much worth eating anyway. A few small alcoholic drinks, several bottles of orange juice, a snickers bar amongst a few other chocolate bars, and a few giant cookies. Very healthy indeed.

Jin glanced down at his discarded trousers, which to his dismay were still sopping wet. He couldn't comfortably wear those, and he couldn't very well walk around in nothing but a robe. With another yawn he turned his attention to Kazuya, who was squatting down in front of the small refrigerator.

"I hope you're not hungry Jin, there's very little to eat."

Almost as if on cue, his stomach growled noisily.

Kazuya looked over his shoulder with one eyebrow perked. "I'll take that as a yes…"

Jin sighed and stood up, stretching. As he did so, he realised with embarrassment just how short the robe was, and quickly tugged it back down over his butt cheeks, blushing all the while. "Yeah, dinner was a while ago." 

The sound of plastic rustling caught his ears, and a second later, one of the giant chocolate chip cookies landed in Jin's lap. "Sorry but that's all that's really edible in here."

Great, biscuits for breakfast. Oh well. He pulled back the plastic, and began to devour the morsel. After a bite, he realised it really didn't taste that bad. In fact it was delicious considering how hungry he was. As he quickly devoured the tasty morsel, Kazuya shut the fridge and sat back down on the chair he'd been sitting on all night. Odd. Not only did it seem he hadn't slept a wink the whole night, now he wasn't even bothering with filling what would have to be by now an empty stomach.

"Hey, aren't you hungry?" A few crumbs fell to his lap as he spoke; after doing so, he swallowed, and filled his mouth again.

"No." No? How could he not be hungry? This man certainly was bizarre.

"Why not?"

"Because." What a pointless conversation.

"Fine, I won't share then." Grinning, Jin demolished every last mouthful of the cookie, and went to the fridge to see if another was in there. Lucky last one was sitting on top of the beer – though, not for long, since Jin spotted it and took it back to the bed, kicking and screaming.

"Whatever." Kazuya stood, and headed toward the bed. "I'd better go and buy you some clothes. You can't walk around in what you're wearing now…it's too short."

Jin pulled a face. "Just don't get anything hideous."

The smirk he got in reply wasn't a comforting one. "Whatever you say…" And then he left.

***

Lazing around in First Class seats on a Qantas 747 was usually much more fun than this.

Usually though, things didn't go as horribly wrong as they seemed to these past few days.

With his hair dyed back to its natural silver, Lee Chaolan felt more or less like himself again, only gutted. There were already rumours spreading over Tokyo about a fight that went on last night at the Mishima Zaibatsu's home quarters, and that had him thinking much more than he'd like to. Perhaps Kazuya really was alive, then again, it was tomfoolery to believe that a man who burned to death in a live volcano could have possibly been brought back in any way. Then again, what caused that rumoured battle? Was there a battle at all?

It was building up inside him annoyingly. Perhaps he shouldn't have left for the Bahamas so quickly. Perhaps he should have stayed to investigate, rather than letting his anger dictate his actions.

Definitely time to read a magazine.

He pulled it from the pocket beside his seat, and flipped through casually. He'd always found that a good read settled a tormented mind after all. Crossing one leg over the other, he sat back in the over-luxurious seat, and looked for any interesting articles that may be in the in-flight mag, not particularly expecting anything. His thoughts were confirmed when he reached the end of the magazine without stopping to read anything.

_Drat_, he thought. _Just my luck._ With a sigh, he picked up a newspaper instead.

And his heart almost leapt into his throat.

On the front cover was a massive, black and white image he never thought he'd see again.

It was _Kazuya_.

Not even bothering to read the article, he pulled out the handset on the seat's armrest, flipped it over, and used the phone installed on the back to call ahead to his next stopover, Singapore Airport. After mere minutes, he had his next flight cancelled, and another booked. Another that would bring him straight back to Tokyo.

Investigation time had come, along with a burning of excitement in his veins. After all, he had foolishly hoped that his brother really was alive.

And now he was.

***

Jin honestly couldn't understand what was bothering his father so much. It wasn't like the outside world was going to kill him after all. 

The whole time they'd been walking down the street, Kazuya had refused to walk out of the shade, and several times he'd urged him to go inside rather than walk down the pleasant, active streets of central Tokyo. It wasn't even busy compared to what it usually was! And since the G-Corporation's environmental program had begun, there was no longer use for face masks; the air was as clean as a city could hope for.

Yet he still wanted to go inside.

It was a bizarre behaviour Jin couldn't even begin to understand. After all, he'd claimed earlier on that he loved Jin's mother, and doing that would involve a lot of hanging around in nature – be it lakes, forests, farms, anything. Surely he knew how to at least tolerate it by now.

His thoughts were interrupted by a heavy sigh. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that his father looked thoroughly uncomfortable. Not just as if he was thinking about his stomach or anything as simple as that, but it seemed he almost had a cloud of doom hanging over him, and he couldn't see what was affecting him that way. He also noticed, in the bright sunlight, just how pale Kazuya seemed. Sure, he wasn't deathly pale or pasty white, his natural skin tone couldn't go that light – but he definitely wasn't a healthy colour. In fact, he looked like he might just puke at any moment.

"Otousan…are you alright?"

Kazuya glanced up momentarily, and gave a solemn nod. He wasn't alright, it was plain to see, but he'd keep up the pretence at the cost of his life. He was one of those people.

Jin perked a brow, and placed a hand lightly on his father's shoulder. In doing so, he immediately withdrew it; what his hand touched was like ice. At the touch, Kazuya's dark eyes moved to meet Jin's, his expression as stoic as ever and even more unreadable. Jin awaited a response, and for seconds there was nothing but silence. Kazuya knew that Jin had realised this sudden burst of inhumanity – the coldness, sleeplessness, lack of hunger, deathly pallor…it all added up, and had come out to a total.

There was no longer room for procrastination – the secret had to be revealed. Kazuya motioned with a nod of his head to an alleyway that they were conveniently passing by, and headed down it, into the darkness, with Jin in tow. The two walked deep enough into the alley that the street they'd come off was out of view, then Kazuya turned to his son, his face still completely unreadable.

In the quietist, still unreadable voice he could muster, he finally began the end of the tormenting wondering.

"You want to know what I am, don't you?"


	4. Revival

A/N: It's been a long time since an update indeed, but I hope this one ish a good one. Lots of blood compared to so far…more to come in the future.

By the way, after reading a few shounen-ai fictions, and reviewing my story 'Chaolan's Confession', I've decided, when I get to the point, that I will write an alternate chapter for the story, possibly a complete different ending, for those that want something R-rated.

***

Those were indeed the words he wanted to hear, but all the same, it gave him a distinct feeling of nausea in hearing them. Along with that was icy dread, making every hair on his body stand on end in fear. The way he had said it had given the whole situation a feeling of evil and doom he did not like at all; in fact, he didn't want to hear more, what with the confirmation of Kazuya's lack of humanity out in the air now.

He swallowed his nerves, and forced himself to nod gingerly after a few moments. His auburn eyes lowered to the mouldering, cracked, abused concrete ground below him, and he swallowed again – this time, to quell the lump forming in his throat. Along with that, he managed to mutter a few words of confirmation, almost feeling guilty about the whole incident, as if it was entirely his fault.

Kazuya's eyes registered most of this dark emotion from his son, and he decided he'd ease him into the idea. Or better still; let him find out for himself. "I'm sure you have a good idea so far. Go on, take a guess…a wild guess." He knew the young boy's sharp mind would think of a few ancient demons and fantasy creatures, and all of them wouldn't be too far off the truth.

The guilt only increased as his mind tracked over the various possibilities. Dislike of sunlight…well, that would count as practically any demon. He noticed, over the last twelve hours of being in his father's company, that he hadn't eaten once. That was certainly noteworthy. His pale skin, definitely not the right colour for a healthy Japanese, was also a point counted. Of course the most obvious thing to think about was his invulnerability to injury – or, at least being stabbed. It discounted only a few options…but Jin felt sure he knew what the horrifying answer was. However, he couldn't bring himself to convict his father – his only living family, besides his asshole grandfather – of being such a creature. 

Yet he knew he had no choice. Slowly, almost silently, the words stumbled forth, tripping over his lips nervously, unsure of themselves. "I…I think I know…but I hope I'm wrong…"

Kazuya sensed the incredible nervousness…but he honestly didn't see his curse as anything different from the burden he'd bore since his early youth. It was nothing but an addition to the existing evil, and it did nothing to proliferate it. "Just give me your best shot, Jin. Don't worry about the inconstancies…"

He almost choked on the word. It was like venom, and didn't want to be released. Hell, he was frightened. He'd never believed in the supernatural, and when he was younger, such monsters had terrified him. And now came the reality. "I…I don't think I can say it…I just…I don't know…" Again he stumbled on his words. Images of his mother with this man stung his eyes, forced them to close, as if it would block out the dark images. Not that Kazuya was a person he wouldn't want his mother near; he could never imagine such a sweet angel like Jun to be with a creature of evil. There must have been something about him…or perhaps not. Perhaps this was the reason he too carried this devil within him that erupted at the worst of times.

Obviously, it was too much for his caring, innocent mind. For someone who had suffered as much as he had, Jin certainly wasn't head-smart or daring – he was gentle, kind and naïve just like his mother. The mere thought of her threatened an emotional outburst from Kazuya, but he once again forced it back. Cautiously the older Mishima placed a hand on Jin's shoulder in an effort to reassure him slightly. The atmosphere of the seedy alleyway probably wasn't helping matters much.

"Then I think you're probably right."

Jin's eyes snapped open, and he wrenched himself away in shock, clamping his own hand over the assaulted shoulder. When his eyes met Kazuya's, he knew he ought to say something. He was one of the few people that could read that man's face, and he knew there was surprise, and a little pain from the sudden reaction.

"Shit, your hands are like ice…"

Kazuya's expression relaxed, and he looked down at the accused hands, smirking almost unnoticeably. "So's the rest of me."

Jin raised a hand, cautiously, and reached out toward Kazuya's cheek. He stopped an inch or so away, hesitating, almost withdrawing completely…but after a moment he placed it down on his lower jaw and ear, only to find he was right; his skin might as well have been close to frozen. He forced his hand not to pull away.

The warmth wasn't as intrusive and…frightening…as the blazing orb in the sky above them…in fact the warmth of his son's hand was comforting, almost enticing, as far as he was concerned. His eyes fell shut, and he remained perfectly still, in the hopes that Jin would keep that lovely heat there for longer. "Your hands are so warm…" As he heard his words, he wished he were flexible enough to kick his own behind for sounding so pathetic.

Finally his hand fell back down to his side, and he regarded the icy creature still with a little dread and fear. "Are you always that cold?"

"No, only when I…" He hesitated, and looked away shamefully. "…Haven't fed." The curse was definitely not without its reasons for being called a curse; and this particular damnation was the worst part he could think of.

It was then that Jin fully understood; his uncertainties were confirmed. _No wonder he was so strange when I first saw him…no wonder Heihachi's dagger didn't hurt him…shit, no wonder everything…_ His mind wandered for a moment, since he had no idea truly as it what to think of the situation. Images of starving children in Africa drifted through his mind, then the poor hungry souls lying about in Tokyo's slums…so very much closer to home. He thought about his own experiences with an unfed stomach; and slowly reality came back into focus; reality in the form of his father. Hunger wasn't pleasant, he knew…and to be cold, and most definitely until this point lonely along with it…for him, it would almost be too much to bear.

Again he swallowed a growing lump in his throat, and stepped closer. He knew that he was at the point of completely invading Kazuya's personal space; it was easy to tell by the look on his face. And he didn't stop until the curve of his neck was pressed against Kazuya's chin as a result of his hand lightly pushing the back of his head. Thank god it was a dark alley, and thank god no one else was around, since they didn't exactly look like a father and son in a friendly embrace to say the least. 

"Go ahead. Do it." Jin's eyes reflected a strong resolve, which successfully masked his nerves below the surface. Sure, he knew how to take pain, but he didn't necessarily enjoy it. He felt Kazuya try and pull away, but he held his hand exactly where it was, applying an equal pressure to keep him right where he was. "You need it, Otousan. Do it."

Kazuya shook his head and tried to pull away again – but to no avail. "No, Jin…not you…" He felt his head being pressed tighter into Jin's warm neck…it was so enticing. He smelled…so human, so full of life…and to a creature such as himself that was like waving a piping hot pot roast under a starving beggar's nose.

"Do it." The younger Mishima's soft, deep voice was becoming more threatening, more forceful.

What could he do to resist? He knew it wouldn't be too much longer before he started to feel the pain of the hunger, and that was always unbearable, no matter how many times he'd put himself through it. He didn't particularly feel like collapsing in a heap on the ground…and god knows how long it would be until another decent opportunity came up. A sigh of resignation escaped his lips, and one of his freezing cold hands gently held the back of Jin's head at the top of his neck, and he turned his head toward the hot olive skin at his mercy. Hesitantly he rested his icy lips against Jin's neck, below his ear. As he did, goose bumps came up around the surrounding skin…he knew it wasn't just because of the shock of cold. The lips parted, and before they bore their deadly weapons, a deep, sincere apology was whispered below Jin's ear, in their native language.

After spending time in the 'Real World', away from his childhood home, Jin had learned a lot more than he'd ever thought possible in previous years. In fact, he'd learned so much he forgot about gender discrimination…especially since he met that fiery redhead a few years ago. Sure, he was an obstinate, obnoxious prick, but damn he had a good body. From then on, Jin had discovered himself to be bisexual. And as a result, he didn't find those lips against his neck particularly disturbing; the reverse, in fact. Though they were cold, and brought about a sense of danger, he could tell that his mother would have loved them. Soft, and full…and so far Kazuya seemed to be very gentle. The sensation brought him comfort of all things, and lulled him into a sense of security…false or not was yet to be discovered.

It was that sense of security that left him unprepared for the incoming attack. Before he could react to the unwarranted apology, he felt a stabbing pain in his neck, like someone had cut him with a sharp knife in a concentrated area. In his mind he knew exactly what it was, what it was for, and he knew it wouldn't really _hurt_ him, but his body begged to differ. He couldn't restrain the cry of pain that escaped his lips, and had to fight himself to stop from forcing Kazuya away from him. Squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth, he gripped more tightly on the back of Kazuya's head before he realised if he kept it up he'd pull out a handful of that silky raven hair. The pain slowly subsided from a stabbing sensation to a sharp sting…and he could finally feel two very sharp objects embedded deep in his flesh. With a final burst of agony, they withdrew, and he felt the hot liquid from within burn through the wounds that were created, past the lips gently clamped onto the side of his neck. Though he knew it had only been mere seconds, it had felt, in every sense of a cliché, like forever.

When he'd heard that yell of pain, he'd endeavoured to withdraw his canines as fast as possible…to avoid any further torment on the poor boy. Some people called those horrible formations fangs…he, personally, didn't enjoy being likened to a spider…or any form of arachnid for that matter. The sensation of the much-needed sustenance flowing into his mouth, over his tongue, and down his throat…it was always so much more blissful than it deserved for such an act. In fact, it took all of his self-control to restrain a faint moan of pleasure as he felt the heat inside his cold body. Though he hated every ounce of what he'd become, and loathed every damned individual like himself, he had to admit that the feeling of warmth entering him after a long period of coldness was almost better than sex. Almost. Or, at least from what he could tell of his experience – which was, mind you, not an awful lot. The warmth from the blood rooted itself within him from two places; his stomach, of course, but also from the centre of his chest – his heart. Then slowly it eased outward, filling his entire torso, down his arms and legs, and finally into his head, hands and feet. It was so tempting to keep going until he'd taken his fill, but he knew such an act would kill his only son – and it was having to fight that temptation that had made him refuse Jin's offer in the first place. It was also temptation that made him give in. Damn this curse.

After a while, it honestly wasn't that bad. In fact, after a short time, his body became numb to the pain, and everything became comfortably fuzzy eventually. It was at that point that he felt a tongue gently press against the wound, and though it stung at first, the pain once again faded…completely. Then he felt a cold rush of air hit the previously assaulted area; but the bizarre thing was, he didn't feel the trickle of blood down his neck that he'd expected.

He felt almost human again, after that revival. He also felt incredibly shameful and guilty for what he had just committed. After reaching up with the back of his hand to remove the moisture from Jin's neck, his eyes found the floor and concentrated on it. He just couldn't bear to meet Jin's eyes…he was too ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Jin." His voice was barely above a whisper.

Jin couldn't help but notice what a change his own sacrifice had made. Kazuya's skin was warm to the touch, and he'd taken on a slightly healthier colour – though he was still way too pale in comparison to himself. However, the flip side was quite simple; Kazuya clearly couldn't make himself look at Jin. No doubt he felt extreme guilt. "No, it's alright…it wasn't that bad…believe me…"

It took what one might consider a lot of bravery, but eventually Kazuya forced himself to look up at Jin, and it was easy to see the self-hatred in those dark eyes of his. His body felt fantastic, and Jin's blood was particularly delicious – much to his disappointment – but in his mind, he felt more terrible than he had in ages. He'd just used…_used_…the last element of the only woman he'd ever loved, for what? His own goddamn benefit. He bit his lip and looked away again. "Are you feeling alright?"

Jin nodded, and smiled. "A little light-headed, but fine. Don't worry about it, Otousan, it's not that big a deal."

Before he could respond, he was interrupted by a deafening gunshot, and a sharp pain in the back of his shoulder. He turned toward the source of the assault, his unharmed arm straining to reach the wound. Standing at the entry to the alleyway was a thin masculine figure, clad completely in form-fitting black, wielding a Desert Eagle…aimed straight at Kazuya.

Jin forced himself between the two of them, standing directly in front of his father. "Who the fuck are you?"

Though the face was in deep shadow, it was easy to tell he was smirking. It was in his voice. "I'm what most people call a Vampire Slayer."


	5. Counterattack

A/N: Thanks for the reviews of both stories, Chibi-Sugarbaby…it made a dark and stormy day all the way over here a little more bearable ^_^;

My keyboard is a nightmare at the moment, and so's this computer…that's my excuse for any spelling issues that appear in this chapter, people…

Btw, sorry about the constantly changing summary and such, but I honestly can't think of a way to describe it in one or two sentences, without saying "Vampire story. Read damnit." I prefer subtlety, but I suppose once everyone knows what he is I can make it a little more exciting. Hopefully the story's getting more exciting for you, too ^_^;

***

Jin didn't want to hear the…the…V word. It made everything seem so much more sinister, and somewhat like an evil novel from sometime in the past, for lack of a better description. Though the idea someone that was trained to kill such creatures was both a blessing and a curse. He held his ground in front of Kazuya…with any luck, if he stayed in the way, he'd leave the poor man alone. Hadn't he had enough torture in his life so far?

The gun didn't lower. "Kid, I advise you get out of the way of this thing…you never know what they're gonna do. No point in wasting your life at your age…"

Jin scowled heavily for a moment; in the next, he was gently yet firmly pushed aside. Kazuya stepped forward in front of his son, and slowly approached the slayer. As he did, Jin couldn't help but notice the growing bloodstain on the back of his shirt where he was shot a moment before. 

"Get lost bakane; this has nothing to do with you." The Slayer raised the gun slightly higher as Kazuya closed the gap between them, not pausing as he spoke. "You have no right to kill the innocent."

Again, he spoke down to the two Mishimas, as if they were children or lesser creatures. "I think you've got it all wrong…you see…evil creatures such as yourself deserve to die…"

Kazuya, being Kazuya, wasted no breath on diplomacy, so to speak, with this particular foe. After all, his usual approach was silent, swift and deadly. That is what he was known for. Instead of continuing to argue, he simply lashed out with an artfully aimed slap, and knocked the weapon out of the Slayer's hand. The attack was naturally too swift for either the Slayer or Jin to see, and was too powerful to be avoided anyway. The gun flew from the Slayer's hand, and clattered to the broken concrete path, spinning for a moment as its momentum came to an end. 

"Now," began Kazuya, now feeling completely in control of the situation, "You will disappear."

Needless to say, the Slayer was quite experienced with such situations; with tricky targets. As Kazuya invaded his personal space just a little too much, he whipped around with a previously concealed weapon; a wooden stake. He was fast for an amateur fighter, it was clear, but not as fast as the King of Iron Fist. His thin, black-clad arm spiked outward from his side, upward, and directly towards Kazuya's chest. This of course was the famed only way to kill a vampire besides exposure to sunlight; a stake through the heart.

Jin cried out and made an effort to stop the confrontation, but he was too late.

Within a second, Kazuya had caught the hand, twisted it around with enough force to flip the man's entire body over, pulled his feet out from under him, and tossed him on the ground contemptuously. As the Slayer landed with a resounding thud, Kazuya approached him, leaned down, and withdrew another 'concealed' weapon from a strap on his outer thigh; a short, dangerously sharp blade.

He placed a foot on the centre of the man's chest. "My, you are a feisty little shit…"

A lump had formed in Jin's throat with the rising sense of panic within. He forced it down with a strong gulp, took a deep breath, and tried to regain his composure. His young hot-headed nature had allowed him to underestimate this seasoned fighter, and now it was working him up into a state about nothing. It was odd, but he almost felt comfortable as the Slayer struggled uselessly beneath his powerful leg.

"How about you do some 'study' before leaping in head-first? If you had, then there would be two reasons not to try and kill me. How about that, ne?" Kazuya certainly didn't mind talking down right back at an enemy that had overestimated their abilities as terribly as this one. 

"How about you get the fuck off me and fight properly?" The idea of being brought down so easily didn't taste too good to this amateur, obviously. 

"How about…no?'

"How about…"

"How about the both of you shut up and call it quits?" Jin had finally found his voice. He'd seemed to find his limbs too, since he casually strolled over to the two, extracted Kazuya's ankle, picked the Slayer up by the front of his shirt, and threw him onto his feet. "You…leave my father alone."

The Slayer was in shock. Had he misjudged that scene so badly? Was it possible that the young man had _allowed_ that creature to drain him of his most vital bodily tissue? He took a step back nervously. The boy was very muscular, thus strong; and the vampire was the best fighter he'd ever challenged; in fact, he'd never lost to anyone thus far, human or vampire.

Jin stepped forward again after a few seconds of uneasy silence, in an attempt to threaten the Slayer into leaving. His size was clearly enough to give the defeated fighter second thoughts as to his approach, and he began to back off toward the sunlight at the opening of the alley. A Slayer would, after many years, be revered by the victims of a vampire as a hero, a saviour. But this time he'd been scorned and beaten down by both the vampire and its 'victim'…it was not a good situation to be in. He thought it best at this point to make his escape; he turned and began to run. But before he could manage it, something was thrown around his neck from the interior of an old building beside the alley, and he was yanked inside with a shrill cry of shock and agony.

A second after, cruel laughter met Kazuya and Jin's ears – from the shadows at the end of the alleyway stepped five more black-clad figures; these ones didn't look as friendly as even the Slayer.


	6. Manevolence

A/N:  Long time no story, I know; that's why this next chapter is coming up. Don't worry, my long-assed-suspense fight will end soon. And I'll try and actually WRITE something more often for those who are mildly interested. Sauciness will be coming up in the future too. This is where I'll have two different continuations of the story. An 'acceptable' saucy variation, and a not-so-common version which I won't be releasing immediately. You'll have to ask for it if you're ready to be horrified )

***

One of the dark figures approached the pair, swinging a heavy iron chain about in one hand threateningly. Low snickers from the five could be heard, as the rest of the group followed their apparent leader and advanced upon the two.

"Well well well, if it isn't Mishima himself…long time no see, kid." The voice that came from the largest member of the group, standing with two on either side, was dark, heavy and husky; laced with danger. "Looks like you've had a little snack too. Go on, finish it, we'll wait till you're done…"

Kazuya frowned, unperturbed by the manner of this new opponent. "I would never do such a thing to anyone, as you well know. And no, you can't finish the job." 

A few of the members of the gang chortled rudely under their breaths. Their leader spoke up again, his voice laden with sarcasm. "Oh, says he with the dirtiest past of us all…"

It took almost all of Kazuya's self control to stop himself from ripping the obnoxious bastard's head off. He decided against it, ultimately because he wasn't the one armed with a chain, and he knew what he was up against. He clenched his jaw for a moment, letting the burning rage within dwindle before he spoke again. "Don't tell me you believe what that old man has told the world about me. After the lies about those forests in the US? Let's not even go there…"

"Who cares? That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

Another sadistic cackle. "You should have guessed. You never hesitated to kill people in the past, why change now?"

At this point, Jin had clearly had enough. Screw the danger, screw these guys. He stepped forward boldly, coming in between his father and the five insidious figures. "That's enough. You don't know anything about him, so just back off and leave us alone." As he spoke, his mind crossed to the Slayer who had been their focus not even a minute ago. Where was he now? He saw him being dragged into an open doorway by the neck a moment ago, but he never came out. Heck…how many of these creatures are there around these days?

There was no time to react to what happened next. Angered by the young man's words, the leader of the gang leapt forward, and in the process, throwing the chain out at Jin's neck. The motion had it caught around his neck, and it was yanked forward. Jin choked. He gasped for breath, but could find none. The cold metal dug into the flesh of his neck; he would scream if he could, but there was no air to do so with. He was being strangled.

Kazuya couldn't simply stand there as his son choked to death, of course; he threw himself at the pair of them, knocking them both forward several metres with the momentum, and sending them both crashing to the pavement. The chain, dropped by its surprised owner, tinkled to the ground, freeing the young man in its grasp. 

He wouldn't stop there. Kazuya grabbed the attacker's arms and held them to his back; with a swift flip, he sent the creature head over heels, and onto his back, lying with his feet just poking out of the alleyway. In the sun.

The scream of agony that resulted was almost enough to burst the eardrums of anyone nearby. Kazuya shoved him further forward however, further into the sunlight. The creature's legs began smouldering, and the smell of burning, dead flesh was becoming growingly sickening. The man's screams grew louder and more pained, but Kazuya still held him there.

"I don't believe you deserve a third chance at life, scumbag…" The Mishima's voice was not without a slight hint of sadistic sarcasm. "And I don't remember ever being overly merciful towards assholes such as yourself." He watched, smirking, as tears streamed down the creature's face. Now in the light, it was apparent that he was once a young western human, changed to the form of the Damned many a year ago. The alabaster skin was slowly burning, and his feet had been reduced to ash.

"Let me go…" The breathless plea for mercy fell on deaf ears. Kazuya was not interested in letting him live. Instead, he shoved him completely into the sun. It was a good thing few people were around in this area, because the events unfolding would leave many scarred for life. The ex-vampire screamed again as slowly but surely his entire body dissolved into ash. Within a minute or so, his body was nothing but a dirty black smut mark on the concrete. 

Apparently, the entire group had stopped to stare in awe as their leader was mercilessly reduced to a pile of nothing. Kazuya's dark, cold eyes immediately snapped back to the four remaining enemies. "Who's next?"

There were no takers.

"Alright then, I advise you get out of here."

Again, no takers. 

Instead, one of them leaped out at Jin. This time however, he was ready, and the burly figure received nothing but a fist in the jaw, and found himself rebounding off the mouldering brick ceiling of the alleyway. Another lurched at the boy, but had as much luck as his predecessor. Jin's powerful arms connected with the vampire's chest, one swiftly after the other – the figure was thrown back with remnants of Jin's forceful attack flurrying around his body in the form of red Ki.

Kazuya knew Jin could keep them occupied easily. There were only four of them so far, so he could defend himself. In the meantime, the older Mishima slipped around the corner, through the door the Slayer was dragged through a moment ago. Though it was pitch black inside, his eyes were able to see through the thick darkness within. What he saw wasn't something he particularly wanted to. Unconscious, on the ground of the abandoned building, was the slayer – with a huge, overly muscular figure bent over him, face nestled in the gangly man's neck.

His presence didn't go unnoticed; the massive creature turned his attention to the intruder, his roughened face full of anger at the interruption of a nice meal. Well, on the bright side, there was only one of them. On the other hand, Kazuya was only half the size of this guy. Not good.

"You…" Ignoring his meal, the vampire stood up, and marched toward Kazuya at a great pace…

Outside, Jin seemed to have gotten the hang of fighting the vampires. He had two in his grasp; one able hand around each one's neck. They were the smallest in the group, clearly; Jin was holding them both above the ground, and was standing in full blast of the beautiful morning sunlight. The result, of course, was ear-piercing screaming. One of the two remaining intact attackers was unconscious on the ground in the alleyway, the other knelt over him, trying to wake him up. As the two in Jin's grasp began to disintegrate, heard definite sounds of punches, kicks and blows, along with shoes scuffling against the ground, and grunts of pain. He glanced quickly in the direction of the action…only to have a heavy, solid object thrown at him.

When the stars finally decided to stop spinning around him, Jin noticed that what was left of the two creatures he'd managed to destroy was scattered across the pavement, and his father was lying on top of him, knocked unconscious from the impact. His head had hit the far wall, after all; Jin was lucky enough to be underneath him, and received little impact.

Before he could push Kazuya off him and stand up, the older Mishima was lifted off him and held dangling above him. He looked up and saw the most massive fighter he'd ever seen; even bigger than that Marduk character. Kazuya slowly came back to the world of the conscious, only to have his breath constricted from him by the massive, ugly hand holding his neck. A deep choke escaped his lips, and he struggled frantically in the grip holding him – but to no avail. 

Jin threw himself defensively at the hulk, but found his face connecting with an open fist, and ended up being thrown against the wall again. For a brief moment, the world went black and fuzzy.

Kazuya's world, too, was beginning to go black and fuzzy. Since he was 'dead', he didn't really need air, so to speak…or at least, he could survive a decent length of time without it…but the grasp around his neck had cut off every supply possible to his head, including blood flow. His energy dwindled and he began to surrender to the inevitable end. Through the blackening atmosphere, he could have sworn he heard a shot ring out, echoing sharply against the walls of the alley. Something must have happened, because he felt himself crashing to the ground feet-first, and felt a hot rush of blood to his head and cool air to his lungs. Slowly regaining his orientation, he coughed and choked as he tried to get too much oxygen into his lungs at once. 

Shaking his head about, Jin finally managed to clear his vision after that second heavy impact. At his feet was the body of the huge vampire, bleeding to death with a bullet hole through the centre of his back – clearly, it had hit his heart. In front of the monster was Kazuya, on his knees, with terrible red marks around his neck where he'd been held. He looked in the other direction; towards the opening of the alley. Standing there was a sight he least expected.

Shotgun in hand, still pointed forward, was their saviour. Or so they hoped.

As a contrast to the beast lying on the ground in a growing puddle of blood, the figure standing before the two was most definitely female. The smooth, flowing hourglass figure was clad in a deep indigo one-piece suit; leather, it seemed, and skin tight. The zipper for the suit had only been done up to the middle of her torso, and her ample cleavage was exposed for all to see. Pale blonde hair was swept back from the weapon-toting woman's youthful face, and her icy blue eyes were partially hidden behind the pink-toned lenses of a pair of designer sunglasses.

Kazuya finally looked up, and almost collapsed to the ground again. Oh boy, this could only mean trouble.

"Williams?!"


	7. Assumptions

A/N: Thank you everyone so VERY VERY much for your kind reviews! I was blushing as I read them, I swear. You're all so nice! That's why I'm writing more, when I could be sitting on my ass with a pencil and some paper, trying to draw something _different…haha._

By the way, I signed up to FanfictionLog as well, my username there is Kazuya. Yes, I have the original! So sometimes I might put up a better or newer edition of a story there, or might update more regularly. Also, there is a double of a few of the stories if Fanfic.net decides to pike out on us. 

Also, I've changed my email. Kazuya_sama@hotmail.com  …how sweet is that! D 

And as a final note, to clear up a few assumptions, I'm not a Buffy fan. Actually, I don't like it at all, there's WAY too much artistic licence gone into those beautiful creatures of the night. As a matter of fact, my fiction is more closely related to Anne Rice's chronicles, in particular, Interview With The Vampire. This is because of the actual relation between the vampires in the story and historical vampires. The exploding vamps and slayers and such as something that happens both in and out of the Buffy realm. In a nutshell, no this has nothing to do with Buffy. So yeah, on with the story.

***

Finally, the blonde lowered her weapon, gracefully placing it in the holster on her weapons belt. After a moment she stalked forward slowly, one gloved hand rested on a hip. "Aren't you lucky I just dropped by?"

Kazuya strained, as usual, to decipher the thick Irish accent her husky voice had the habit of taking on. He coughed again as he gradually managed to catch his breath. "Yeah, it would seem so." He picked himself up off all fours and stood. After that fight, he looked a bit of a wreck; his hair, once neatly combed back, was now considerably ruffled, his shoes were scuffed, and most of the bottom of his shirt was hanging over his trouser belt. "So why exactly _did you drop by?"_

As the commotion and trauma died down, Jin shook his head about again to clear his vision of the sparkling fuzzy spots dancing in front of his eyes. Damn wall. He looked up far enough to find himself staring at a side view of Nina's posterior…and continued, not by choice, to stare. When he realised what he was doing, he blushed a deep red across his cheeks, and glanced away bashfully. It was a pity she was so dangerous, because he had to admit, she had an awesome body.

"I was assigned to hunt the mug that had you at his mercy, actually." She couldn't help but smirk at the look of discomfort that crossed Kazuya's pale face with the reminder of his helplessness. "Vampire apparently…as if those creatures exist. But I decided to use their silver-tipped bullets anyway. They work well with anyone if you hit them square in the ticker…"

He needn't correct her as to whether the loathsome creatures existed or not. "Why in Hell's name is he so big?"

Nina smirked. "He was a former warrior from several hundred years ago. Interesting history, this bastard." There was a hint of cockiness in the woman's voice. Neither of the boys seemed to notice though. Kazuya was busy brushing his torn shirt off, and Jin was just getting to his feet. "Apparently he had a thyroid disorder; too much thyroxin or something. Makes you grow taller than you should. That's why he's nearly seven foot. Oh, and he was one of the best warriors around in his day, hence his strength. So even you, Mr Mishima, would not have been able to clock him one…"

That final jab had Jin mildly amused, but Kazuya simply rolled his eyes. "Why does everyone think I'm an arrogant bastard?"

Nina would have laughed if it was anyone else, but her heart wouldn't allow it with this man. There was something about him that intrigued her, captivated her mind, and warmed her body from head to toe. She would openly admit, like most of the other women involved in the Iron Fist tournaments, that he was somewhat of a sex object; the fine muscles – lack of excess bulk, but at the same time, with a masculine physique – and the deep voice, those dark eyes…but that was it. Or at least, that's what she had always told herself. Plus the fact that, like everyone else, she had been brow-beaten into believing him to be cold and arrogant. She had never had evidence to prove otherwise, anyway. After all, he never talked to anyone if he could help it, he never laughed, and he always seemed so proud. She'd interpreted it as arrogance, like everyone else.

And with this question, all she could do was try and answer him, since the look on his face demanded it sorrowfully. "I don't know, I'm not everyone. But all I can say is that, even if you're different inside, you just…come across as being an arrogant bastard. I dunno, Kazuya, just try smiling sometimes."

Actually, he hadn't expected an answer at all. In fact, that was an answer he was least expecting of any possible answers. It almost hurt, but he knew how to block pain out. It never affected him any more. "I don't have anything to smile about."

Oh how Jin wished he could slap him for that. Not from anger or anything, just to snap him out of…his…fifty year depression. He only held back giving him a good slap because he knew it wouldn't do anything. Nina apparently felt the same. She just sighed, and shook her head. Inside, she was beginning to realise this supposed cold-blooded man's true nature, and was, even now, beginning to see why Jun attached herself to him so tightly.

"Anyway. Another assignment I was given recently involved hunting down someone for a large sum of money. I believe you two can help me."

Jin and Kazuya exchanged glances, then both looked back at the blonde simultaneously. "Really? Who're you looking for?" until that input, Jin had felt considerably left out of the conversation. 

Nina smirked a little in Kazuya's direction. "You."

Of course he shouldn't have been surprised. She'd been hired to kill him before, after all. Before he could jump to his defence, however, Nina stopped him. "I didn't say he wanted you dead. The contrary, in fact."

Kazuya raised a brow, giving the blonde a suspicious look.

She rolled her pale eyes. "If you must know, it was your brother who sent me to find you. He's being rather panicky about it too. I'm meeting him at a coffee lounge just down the lane some, I'd like you to come along too." It wasn't a request as much as it was an order. The mention of Lee was enough to turn Kazuya's face sour for a moment, but the reaction dwindled swiftly.

Jin still didn't look convinced, and folded his arms across his broad chest. Seeing this reaction, Kazuya could only chuckle, and as Nina turned to walk away, he shoved the boy lightly after her, and headed in the same direction himself. After all, what could Nina do to him in broad daylight? After all, so far, it had been proven that he wasn't susceptible to the sun's rays. He'd been walking, uncomfortably mind you, in full blast of them before with Jin. 

As they headed down the road, getting only a few strange looks for the wreckaged state of the boys' clothing and Nina's state of dress _period_, Kazuya noticed Jin's preoccupation with the bright pink leather-clad ass swaying back and forth before them. He chuckled and gave him a firm nudge in the ribs, smirking at him knowingly. Again, Jin shifted his glance, blushing heavily, and tried to concentrate on the pavement beneath their feet. Pity the concrete, cracked and broken from the heavy usage and shoots of grass breaking through, wasn't nearly as sexy as Nina's bottom. Simply seeing Jin's embarrassment made Kazuya laugh more, still quietly, but more obviously than before.

That deep chuckle shot right through her spine, and from head to toe, giving her goose-bumps all over. Somehow she'd never imagined Kazuya laughing like that…hell; she'd never imagined him laughing at all. Casually, she peered over her shoulder through her shades to see what the commotion was about. She was met with quite an image; normally the Mishima's face was slightly older than it should appear, since he always looked so serious and glum. But at the moment, his youthful features radiated a positive glow – his eyebrows were more passive than she'd ever seen him, and his eyes seemed warm; and she'd never, ever seen him with such a definite smile. It made him look younger, for sure, and much more pleasant. 

She turned back and smiled herself, partially from embarrassment at being so fascinated by such a simple thing as a smile. It was a good thing for her he was too busy laughing at Jin to notice her staring…and Jin's handsome young face was a sight to behold too, bright red and clearly ready to crawl into a hold and hide. No doubt, with young raging hormones, he'd been caught staring at her ass. Playfully, she gave it a little wiggle at the two of them as she walked onward. She didn't bother turning around to see the reaction, but two embarrassed chuckles from behind was all she needed to hear.

Eventually, the found the coffee lounge. Nina led them to a coffee-table setting in the back corner, and sat down on a white leather armchair at the foot of the small, low mahogany table, and they other two followed suit; Kazuya crashed down on a like-themed two seat sofa, and Jin took up residence on the armchair opposite Nina.

"Well, I suppose I ought to get you two boys some drinks while we wait for Chaolan. What would you like?" She sat back in the chair, kicking one long, curvaceous leg over the opposite knee.

Jin glanced quickly at Kazuya, then Nina, then the menu propped up between the pewter salt and pepper shakers. "I'll have an iced coffee. I need the caffeine."

Nina nodded, then glanced over toward the couch. Kazuya shook his head. "No, I'm not a fan of coffee." Of all things he missed from his past life, coffee had to be one thing high on his list. The smell of it made him sick nowadays, but way back when, it was what kept him awake for late night training sessions.

"Suit yourself." She reached up into the air with one gloved hand, then flirtatiously gave the waiter her orders. The more the man stared down her front, the more she played coy…until he could take no more and returned to the kitchen to deliver the order. After it was sent in, she leaned back again, and waited for Chaolan to arrive. Exhausted from the earlier fiasco, the two Japanese men did the same, and relaxed back into the backs of the soft contours of the leather seats.


	8. Deliberation

A/N: Felt like writing more. To answer a query, Jin isn't a vampire. As a rule of thumb, to become a vampire, you must be drained to the point of death, then ingest a substantial amount of vampire blood, most likely the one that tried to kill you. Kazuya only really had a bit of a snack, and Jin didn't bite him back. So nope, 'fraid he's not a vampire yet.

As for the Ninaness of it all, yes, there is something going on here. That, with a few mentions of sauciness in the past, should get your imaginations whirring )

An additional note: Like in Chaolan's Confession, I've made Lee one year younger than Kazuya. For me, it just seems to work so much better that way. If you wish to complain, go shoot yourself in the foot, this is MY fic! D Mmmkay? 

Thank you once again for you awesome reviews!!

***

By now, Kazuya had put his feet up, dangling them over one of the armrests of the couch, his arms tucked casually beneath his neck at the other end. Being rather tall after all, he couldn't have stretched out properly and still had his feet on the couch anyway. Jin had gone most of the way through his iced coffee, and was poking at the cinnamon covered cream sitting on top of the cool liquid. Nina was still sitting with one leg over the other, and she had a delicate white teacup between her hands. Every now and again she'd take a short sip of the tea inside it, but for the most part, it just sat there on her lap.

"Is that baka going to come today or not?" Kazuya's voice had a hint of impatience showing through the perpetual calm. 

"How the hell should I know? HE told ME to meet him here!" Nina's patience was beginning to wear thin.

Kazuya's dark eyes rolled back a moment, sarcastically, and he shifted slightly against the leather beneath him. "Don't choke on your own spit there…" Most of the time, it seemed he didn't realise how sardonic he was. That time, however, he knew it would get on Nina's nerves.

And indeed it had. She growled softly, and looked across at Jin. He happened to have been staring at her cleavage which was so well displayed, and, being caught by the woman herself, looked away again, his face going red once again. Seeing his flushed face staring down at the coffee in his hands, Nina could only smile. Well, that had lightened her mood to say the least. "See something you like, kid?" She took great pleasure in leaning back to display it more.

Jin looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die, and Kazuya had to keep himself from laughing. Oh, the poor boy. He'd been there, done that, so he knew how it felt to be caught staring…at Nina in particular. In fact, many a year ago, he had a much more embarrassing encounter than that. Training in a dojo with her before a competition in the first tournament, he'd tackled and floored her, and since nothing really happened while he was sitting on her, he found himself getting a little…excited. This, of course, was well before he met Jin's mother. "I think we all see something we like, Ms Williams. But since you have a group of unsavoury onlookers at nine o'clock, I would advise a little more discretion."

When she looked to her left, indeed, there was a gang of hard-looking bikies staring and pointing and joking about her bust. After giving them the finger, she turned back to her tea. "Screw 'em. If they take one false step, they'll get lead in th' head."

The two boys said nothing further, and simply relaxed again, waiting for Lee to get here. As Nina finished her tea, she placed the cup back down next to the pot at her end of the table, and sat back with a soft sigh. Jin had found a magazine and was reading it rather intently – probably to avoid getting caught staring again – and Kazuya seemed content with staring into space. She decided to watch him to see if he'd notice her staring at him staring at the roof. Seemed not after a few minutes. Instead, she trailed her eyes down, trying to imagine what lay below the tattered shirt he was wearing. Sure, she'd seen him shirtless before, but he was always tense and ready to knock someone out. At the moment, lying so casually on that couch, he didn't look dangerous…just sexy. Watching his powerful chest rise and fall softly, she came to realise he'd become a lot slimmer than he'd been all those years ago when he was competing for the Zaibatsu. He still had muscular arms, but the rest of him looked perfectly normal in a shirt and slacks. Looked to her like he'd mastered strength and speed and power without having to look like Craig Marduk. 

A shout from the other end of the café interrupted all of their thoughts. The two at opposite ends of the table snapped their attention to the source, and Kazuya sat up to see what was going on. Of course, not to their surprise, there was only one thing going on.

Lee.

The silver haired man, dressed in a white and violet pinstripe three-piece, rushed over to their table setting at great speed, skidded to a halt beside Nina, and gave her an overly affectionate smooch on the cheek.

"Oh, you wonderful woman, you found him! I can't thank you enough!"

She smirked slightly and rubbed her cheek on the back of a gloved hand. "You could pay me…"

Lee chuckled. "Already did that. Go check your bank account." Then he turned his attention to a rather startled Kazuya. "You! I knew you were alive!" He bounced down onto the spare space beside Kaz on the sofa, and gave him a quick, restrained hug around the shoulders. It was obvious he wanted to give his long-lost brother a bear-hug or something similar.

Sighing, Kazuya gently but firmly pushed Lee off him and dusted off his shirt. "Yeah yeah, don't go getting all soppy on me Lee."

The smile still didn't wear off Lee's face despite the reprimand, and Jin took up a similar one in an effort not to laugh at the strange reunion between brothers. Lee took a breath and tried to calm himself, and sat back against the rear of the couch. "I'm sorry; I just wasn't expecting to see you so soon. It's been twenty years, Kaz…"

Kazuya lowered his eyelids slightly, and chewed on the inside of his lower lip with a sigh. Lee continued. "Anyway. The real reason I wanted to find you, particularly after I heard about the outcome of the tournament, was to find out what exactly you're going to do about the Zaibatsu…" It didn't look to him like Kazuya was listening. Damn him and his arrogance. "Hey Kaz, are you listening to me?!"

A heavier sigh, and Kazuya glared at Lee. "Would you stop calling me that?"

This time, Lee rolled his eyes. "As much as this may seem to be a joke right now, I'm actually trying to be serious."

Kazuya slipped down so he was resting his back between the arm rest and the back of the couch, and leaned his elbow over the armrest itself. "Well, try a little harder, because it's not working." Lee obviously wasn't impressed with Kazuya's manners…he'd always been disrespectful to the younger Mishima in the past. 

Nina stood after a few more minutes of their arguing. "I think I'll leave you two to it. I'll go somewhere else with Jin until you two have sorted yourselves out."

They gave her a nod each, and continued on discussing the Zaibatsu – Lee being serious, and Kazuya unable to take him seriously. Jin followed Nina out of the coffee lounge and down the street.


	9. Saturated

A/N: Yes, another update! I'm addicted to my own story, how sad is that? I can't WAIT to write the yummy stuff coming up soon, that after this chapter you may be able to predict, but I don't want it to happen too fast. So I'll just have to write more, and make y'all read more )

Here goes with chapter 9.

***

It had been quite some time since the discussion between the two reunited brothers had concluded, and Kazuya was now walking around aimlessly in the pouring rain. 

He knew Nina and Jin hadn't gone too far. Somehow. Lee had buggered off home, thank god, but he'd given him some valuable information all the same, so that was worth sparing him for now. Apparently, the authorities knew of the Mishima Zaibatsu's past, so there were intense watches over affairs presently, which weren't likely to end for a long time; mainly to ensure the winner's safety. Actually, the winner hadn't been named yet, since the semi-finals were a stalemate. The rules indicated that a rematch had to be scheduled if the contestants didn't decide amongst themselves who would continue on to the final to challenge Heihachi. Which meant, indeed, that Heihachi would want to have both of the contenders annihilated. And that was why the authorities had stepped in; to avoid letting the Tekkenshu do any dirty work.

Being the way he was, the wet weather didn't bother him as much as it might have in the past. Though his ripped and torn shirt was completely saturated, as were his trousers and everything beneath them, and he could hear his shoes squelching with every step, though his hair was plastered down against his skull in a thick raven sheet, partially clouding his vision where he hadn't bothered to shift it from his face, he felt fine. A little cold, admittedly, but otherwise just fine.

After another circuit around the block, he paused and leaned against a street lamp. His pale skin was bathed in an orange glow from the light above. Through the darkness of the incoming evening, he could have sword he saw a flash of golden hair down the street. He looked again, and it was gone.

With a soft sigh, he went back to staring at his shoes, and began wondering what he'd do with himself this evening. Last night they were lucky to stumble across a hotel, but tonight, since his apartment had been ransacked by the Tekkenshu, he had nowhere to go. _Ah well,_ he told himself, _Vampires are Creatures of the Night for a reason._

As he drifted off into his own little world, suddenly the light level cut out, and the rain stopped pelting down on his head. His damp, cold arm felt something a little warmer rest against it. He glanced to the side, and saw Nina staring back at him with a slight smirk, holding a black umbrella over the both of them. This time, she was dressed in a thick grey turtleneck and a pair of dark figure-hugging trousers.

"Fancy meeting you here, Dracula," She said, grinning, "Are you going to go inside out of the rain or stay out here and brood all night?"

One eyebrow perked. A second later, he smiled slightly. He didn't even notice he was doing it. The funny thing was, lately, he'd been doing so much more smiling than usual, and half the time he didn't even notice. It seemed his _real self was starting to be exposed through his façade. Erosion was wearing back the old, weathered rock, and the diamond inside was being exposed. Though such an analogy would earn a good thumping from him, in his opinion. _

She smiled back. "Has anyone ever told you that you look very handsome when you smile?"

He rolled his eyes, but a slight hint of pink crossed his cheeks. "Whatever." Compliments were one thing that he would never get used to, or know how to take. 

A small, warm hand grasped his. His free hand slicked quickly through his hair to get it out of his face, then he glanced down at Nina. "I've found a hotel that's relatively safe just down the road. I've already got Jin in a room, and I have another for myself. How's about you come back and get out of this downpour?"

He offered no resistance, and simply nodded. "Alright…" Still holding his hand with her free hand, she led him down the street, holding the umbrella above their heads with the other. The whole walk back to the hotel, he didn't notice he was still holding onto her hand, but he did notice, after a while, that she was staying awfully close to his arm. It was nice though, since a lot of her heat was absorbing into his arm. 

Nina had never imagined feeling so weak. She was simply holding onto his hand and arm, and suddenly, she felt like she could barely walk. There was so much definite light muscle under that shirt sleeve. His hand, though icy cold in her grip, was so soft and smooth. Unlike any fighter's hand she'd ever touched, it was so…nice. The hand was much larger than hers, but his fingers were still so slender, so delicate-looking. She'd always thought of him as such a cold, rough, hard person, but his features were so fine, so perfectly chiselled, he might have been a statue of a Greek god: perfect. 

It was only a few minutes walk before they reached the front steps of the hotel she mentioned. It wasn't nearly as classy as the one last night, but at this point, Kazuya was past caring if he had anywhere to sleep at night at all; it was just a vague curiosity. But here he was. She led him in through the lobby after taking down the umbrella and shaking it off at the front door. Of course, as she was doing that, he took the time to wring some of the wetness out of his shirt. On the way up in the elevator, she handed him a key-card.

"You might need this to get into your room. Jin will probably be messing about in there; I doubt he'd be anywhere else."

Kazuya just nodded in reply, and fiddled with the card in his hand. The lift ride was a long one; thirty floors, and the lift was a slow one. Being in an enclosed environment with an old associate wasn't exactly something he wanted to do right now. Particularly as he'd only realised, after a few hours' thought that evening, that he'd had a crush on her in the past. Yes, Kazuya Mishima with a crush! It'd taken him so long to figure it out, too. All through the tournaments he'd been involved in, he'd wanted to see Nina out of the fighting industry, and in a more casual setting. He'd wanted her to stop trying to kill him. And, he'd only just admitted this one too, but he wanted to see her shirtless. Of course, that was one secret _no one_ would ever know. And now he felt uncomfortable, because all those boyish feelings were rushing back to him.

Finally, the lift opened. Nina stepped out, and Kazuya followed behind. Room 3008, so the card in his hand stated. She headed straight for the room across the hall from it, and he flipped the key around to jam it into the door to his room and get inside. Before he could though, Nina interrupted.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention…I have an extra key to my room if you'd like that too…" She smirked playfully, and waggled a second key about between two fingers.

Honestly, he didn't know what to say to that at all. He blinked, and tried to think of something to say, but nothing came. Surely she wasn't offering sex! He heavily doubted it. Maybe she was offering companionship. Maybe it was a trap. Or a joke.

After the few seconds, she broke the silence again. "Just in case you want a snack."

He arched a brow. "You know?" 

She nodded. "You can blame your son for that."

Wow, what a weird day. Two rare people who've wanted him to take from them. Bizarre. "Hm. Well, thanks, I guess." Saying nothing more, he opened his room door, and walked inside. Disappointed, Nina retreated to her room as well.

A loud yawn caught his attention. Apparently, Jin had hit the sack early, and was about to go to sleep when Kazuya wandered inside.

"Hey you…whoa, did you get caught in the rain or somethin'?" His voice was groggy, since he was tired and hadn't used it in a while.

Kazuya snickered, and ran his hands through his damp hair again. "Yeah, stood out in the wet for a good few hours. Guess I'll be sleeping without all this rubbish on tonight…" He began to unbutton his shirt as he walked over to the empty bed beside Jin's. Jin looked a little perplexed from a moment, then a little worried. The nude? Damnit. A few moments later, Kazuya was down to nothing but a pair of boxer briefs, which were sopping wet too, from the long time spent in the rain. He slipped into the bathroom for a moment to retrieve a towel and to hang up his clothes to dry. After towelling out some of the dampness on his cold body, he pulled back the covers on the bed, pulled off the drenched shorts, and climbed into the bed. 

"See you in the morning, Jin."

He got nothing but an incoherent mumble of acknowledgement in reply.


	10. A Nice Warm Meal

A/N: Yet another update. Things starting to happen, kinda. Or preparing to. Yes, I know I'm an angst whore.

May this leave you confused D

***

This time, Jin was the first one to rejoin the world of the conscious. Maybe it was the loud snore and rustle of covers next to him, or maybe it was that little hint of delicious morning sunlight sparkling and twinkling through the slim gap between the curtains, dancing on the end of his bed. Whatever it was, he was awake now, and he sat up, yawned and stretched. 

He glanced over at the bed next to him, and his eyebrows rose substantially. Kazuya had obviously had a restless night or something, because he had ended up lying on top of the covers with one foot still stuck under them, face down, with the pillow lying on the ground on the other side of the bed. Jin couldn't help but chuckle at his rounded little butt sticking up into the air like that…wow, if his mother was here…let's not go there. But damn, no wonder his mother loved his father so much.

The curtains needed opening, and the room needed warming. Jin stood up, scratching the back of his head, and reached out to draw the curtains back. He threw one open, and as he reached for the second one, he was interrupted by a loud 'GAH' and panicked scuffling about on the sheets of the other bed. He looked over, and saw Kazuya glaring at him from underneath the covers; he was curled in a sitting foetal position with the blankets up to his nose, and he didn't look impressed. Then, Jin remembered.

"Uhm…sorry Otousan." He drew the curtain shut again and sat down on his bed.

Kazuya rolled his eyes. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he crossed his legs on the end of the bed. "I kinda forgot. After all, you were walking around in the sun yesterday just fine."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I like it…" He'd dropped his guard a little now, and the blankets had lowered to only just cover his lap.

All this vampire stuff was starting to get him confused; so many of the others were susceptible to weird things, but his father seemed different. "Why don't you turn to ashes, when the others do?"

Kazuya thought a moment. "Trust _you_ to ask the most annoyingly difficult questions…"

"Don't tell me you don't know…"

He shrugged, and leaned back, only to discover his pillow had deserted him. "Hm." He reached down a moment, and picked it up, placing it back where it belonged. "Actually, I have a good idea but I'm not certain. This Devil presence inside me wasn't lost when I was killed. Instead, it became dormant. I think. I still possess its' abilities, nevertheless, and it also adds a few advantages to my defences. Sunlight, for example: I can withstand it, but only to a certain extent. Most of my kind will die within around two minutes of complete exposure. I would die within twelve hours of non-stop exposure, apparently. The process is slowed down to a near halt. I tried to keep out of it yesterday as much as possible because it burns my skin very quickly, and it takes an incredible amount of energy to heal. Not only that, but it hurts. A lot."

That was a pretty damn good explanation, actually. "I see. How long does it take to burn you?"

"Well when you consider human skin will begin to burn, on a good day, in around thirty minutes…fairly quickly. I ended up with burns on the backs of my hands after ten minutes once. I've never let it get worse than that."

As he spoke, Jin reached down to retrieve his clothes. He'd showered the previous evening, so he simply started to get dressed. "So basically you're like a super-strong albino in broad daylight…"

"Actually, I lose most of my skills in daylight. My strength returns to the same level I had when I was alive twenty years ago." At this point, he kicked his covers back, and stood up to get his clothes out of the bathroom. Jin did a double-take at the lack of…dignity? Shyness? He was still completely naked! He mentally slapped himself back to reality, and continued getting dressed.

"What other skills do you have?"

When Kazuya came back out of the bathroom, he was dressed in yesterday's inadvertently washed and dried clothes…with the odd crease in the shirt and pants of course. "Each one of us has a natural gift when we're created, I suppose you could say. Mine, believe it or not, was the ability to heal, despite my past of violence and fighting skill…"

_That would explain the fact that I don't have any chew marks on my neck_, thought Jin. "Weird. So you can't do that at daytime either?"

He shook his head. "No, not unless I'm indoors and away from the sun. I never used to believe in magic and all that shit, but since I haven't learned the physics behind all of this mythology, I'm forced to believe it for my own survival." After brushing a few of the creases out of his shirt, he changed the topic of discussion. "You going to have breakfast?"

At the mention of food, Jin shoved his hands into his pockets. After a second, he pulled his pockets inside out, and looked down at them in mild dismay. "Erm…nope…"

Kazuya rolled his eyes, then fished around in his wallet, which just so happened to have fallen out of his trouser pocket the night before, when they were hanging up. He handed Jin a few notes…enough for a hell of a breakfast. "Go downstairs and feed up."

It'd been a while since Jin had taken orders from anyone, so he just stood there a moment, unsure how to take it. Then he remembered, Kazuya was his father, of course he wants him to eat and be comfy and happy and safe and grow up to be a good boy. That's what all fathers do. So he smiled, and took the money, and after running a hand through his ruffled hair, he headed to the door. "Domo arigatou, Otousan." Then he wandered downstairs to get something to eat from the restaurant.

***

It was a buffet breakfast. Jin liked that idea. A lot. In fact, already, he'd gone through three plates of hot food, and a bowl of cereal, three glasses of juice, and was now onto another plate of hot food with a cup of coffee. The two-seater table he'd occupied was still only half occupied, and his used plates and bowls were stacked neatly in one pile. He didn't mind being alone, since he knew he ate a lot most times, and the only person that would join him would be his father, who couldn't eat anyway…so that was just mean. No one else would join him anyway…or so he thought.

Half way through a mouthful of coffee, a plate lightly clinked down on the bleach-white tablecloth. He looked up, and saw none other than Nina Williams sitting down opposite him with a plate of fruit and a few other items...she clearly wasn't a big eater. He found himself captivated by her, once again. She was wearing, of course, something that exposed her cleavage; a black halter neck t-shirt, and under that, dark blue jeans that hugged her figure as well as the rest of her wardrobe. She'd obviously noticed his staring, because she was staring back with one brow raised higher than the other, waiting for him to speak.

Jin blushed and looked down at his food. Damnit, he was forever embarrassing himself like that. "I'm sorry, Nina…I just…" He couldn't think of the words to say.

Nina smirked and toyed with an apricot half on her plate with her fork. "Y'know Jin, most men are content with laughing and grabbing…"

He honestly couldn't believe that. Why would people be so rude? His mother had always taught him to be exceptionally polite to girls, and never give sexual innuendo, because it insulted and embarrassed most nice girls. "Well I wouldn't do that…I just think you're…well, really pretty…"

This time, Nina blushed ever so slightly, but she kept her cool. "You're the first man who's ever called me that, you know…" She smiled softly at him, still toying with her apricot. "Most people would be harsher…"

"I don't see the need…because you _are_ pretty…other guys are too dirty nowadays, all they think about is sex…I think that's wrong. My mother would turn in her grave if I was like them."

For once, Nina _did feel pretty. Not sexy, not like a slut, not like a sex object…just pretty. And it felt good. Really good. She was, in Jin's eyes, pretty. That meant he really respected her along with everything else…sure he admired her body, it was obvious, but there was more in that little brain of his than testosterone. She couldn't help but smile a little more. "You're so sweet, Jin…" Whoa, did that come out of her mouth?_

He grinned slightly, and took a sip of his coffee. "I try…"

She sat back, and finally took a nibble from the apricot she had half mutilated by this time. "If only your father was as gentle and as open as you." 

"I think he's really just like me inside. That's why he's so introverted."

Nina raised a brow.

"I think he's just shy, ya know. I mean, Heihachi was a bastard to me, so imagine what he was like to Otousan. I've come to realise he's a nice guy under this 'Kazuya' exterior, but Heihachi would have abused it out of him, I'll bet. He's so used to hiding it, that's what he's become." Jin put the remaining part of a hash brown into his mouth, and left what was still on the plate for now. "But he's been really nice to me so far. Heihachi always told me he was a cruel, arrogant bastard, but so far I have yet to see him like that."

Somehow, Nina couldn't imagine Kazuya being nice. Cold, yes; cruel, yes; silent, yes; nice, no. Not Kazuya. But she took Jin's word for it. After all, she'd been thrown around a bit by his strange moods lately. Sure he was acting like his normal self for a while there, but last night he was just adorable. Playing innocent. He _knew she was offering him a nice warm spot in her bed, but he played coy. Somehow it suited him. She decided, right there and then, that she would get to know this man better, to find what he had to hide under that cold exterior._

Jin snapped her attention back to reality. "Speak of the Devil…" She glanced over her shoulder to see Kazuya out in the hotel lobby, talking to one of the receptionists. A moment later, he turned and headed inside the restaurant. He spotted the two sitting at their table, and walked toward them. He'd changed clothes; he was wearing his favourite blue shirt, top button undone, and a fresh pair of black slacks, and a leather coat draped over one arm.

"Enjoying breakfast, I presume…" He pulled up a chair and sat down on an unoccupied side of the table.

Nina eyed his chest through the fresh shirt. "Went and bought more clothes, huh?"

He shook his head and sat back in the chair, possibly to avoid the smell of the food. "No, while you and Jin were busy eating, I went back to my old apartment down the road and got my stuff. At least I'll have some money and clothes to survive a little while."

Jin took another sip of coffee, and Nina finished off her small breakfast, after commenting one last time. "I thought you would have put some money aside from twenty years back…"

He nodded. "I did, but the account has been locked since my 'death'. I'm still trying to get it open. Another two weeks or so and I'll have access, but they have to go through some stupid great identification system because of the amount of money in there."

A thought sparked in Jin's imagination. "What exactly are we going to do today?"

"Well, I need to organise a few more things, and I'm meeting with Lee later on this afternoon. Not sure what you two will be doing."

"I need to tidy up a few things today. I'll be back tonight." Nina took a mouthful of juice, then continued. "But you," Here she pointed at Kazuya, "Will have to make yourself free tonight." After that, she winked. "After dinner."

He smiled slightly, and stood up. "Alright, if you insist. I'll be off now, I'll see you two tonight." 


	11. Crimson

A/N: I am an angst whore. Read this one and weep, romance fans. I did warn you that this chapter would happen at some stage.

PS: Thank you so much, Princess Michelle and Chibi-Sugarbaby, you've been a fantastic help and influence and driving force with this story; every day I come hope and write a little more to see what you'll say next! I have to say, with your inspiration and assertion and excitement, this has become my favourite story so far, that I've written myself that is. Even _I_ can't wait for more! A big thank you to Koorime and everyone else whose read my story and reviewed too, you've all been a massive help. Without you, this would still be on chapter two. I'm serious. Thank you guys so much…and please don't puke at my sudden sappiness. I'm happy! ^___^

***

It wasn't raining tonight, but even so, it was unseasonably chilly and dry. But he was alright, since his body didn't rely on heat energy to strive and survive. He was dressed for the old anyway, with the same clothes he had on earlier; the dark blue shirt and black slacks, only now with a silver tie and the long, thick trench coat over the top. With his arms folded over his chest, and his back resting against the slate walls of the outside opening of the hotel, he awaited her arrival…

After another quarter of an hour's wait, finally, she appeared. Typical Nina, too. She had a pair of thick black leather pants on, beneath a dark purple, vinyl sleeveless halter net top, a pair of combat boots, and a woollen coat that hung lazily about the back of her calves. She'd made her face up, too. As she exited the hotel, she linked one arm under his, and tugged him gently away from the wall, not pausing in her stride. "I'm surprised you waited for me."

He chuckled softly; his deep, breathy laugh sent shivers throughout her entire body…she blamed it on the cool air about them. "It would've been rude not to. Besides, I don't mind a little good company every now and again." He allowed himself to be dragged down the stairs, but caught up her pace as they got to the bottom. "So, where are we going?"

Her small hand remained tucked happily in the crook of his elbow, and in the cold, she found herself very comfortably nestled against his upper arm. "Well, I don't imagine you'll mind sitting down by the river tonight, for a while. We have a lot to catch up on, and it's peaceful down there. Besides the duck shit, maybe…"

Again, he chuckled. He'd noticed, over the last forty-eight hours, that his mood always improved around her, no matter how much they clashed in ideas every so often. It was that reason alone that he agreed to come out with her tonight, since he figured catching up was what she had in mind all along. It was good to keep in contact with 'old friends'. He allowed her, again, to lead him around. This was his home town all the same, so he knew exactly where they were going.

***

It certainly was a pleasant night. They'd found a relatively deserted spot down on the rich, thick grass down by the waterfront. In front of them, only a few metres away, ran a wide, clear river through the middle of the city, led along between two walls of deep grey bricks; it was mid tide. To their right hung a heavy old bridge across the river; its archway, decorated with the same ragged, rectangular bricks, supported a broad main road, which, oddly for this time of the evening, was relatively empty. The other side of the city was a glittering haze of bright lights, reaching up, trying to touch the clear black sky, mimicking the city's colourful twinkling in its mysterious black and white patterns of stars and constellations. It made a perfect moving photo before their eyes as they sat there on the ever so slightly damp grass.

They'd been talking for a while now, a few hours; and had only just brushed upon the topics at hand. For now, Nina had settled with moving him toward memories of the first tournament.

"And do you remember that time Paul got a little of his hair cut off by Yoshimitsu's sword?" She could barely stop laughing as she spoke.

He too, was having difficulty with self-control; but he was trying not to laugh at all, which was sadly failing, and quickly. "How could I forget? I've never seen a grown man cry so passionately."

She giggled and clung to his bicep a little more. It had been so very long since she'd enjoyed herself this much, particularly with a man. "I wish I had a camera at that moment. Good blackmail…"

"I'll say. Almost as good as the time when your sister lost her bra in mid-fight…" He grinned at the memory, for some reason.

Oh yes, that was funny. "I'd never seen Marshal with a stiffy before, and funnily enough, I don't think I want to again…" There was silence for a few seconds, until Nina remembered something. "Speaking of stiffies..."

Kazuya blushed slightly, and said nothing, only arched a brow. Oh, how he'd hoped she hadn't remembered….

"…I remember a certain someone who enjoyed a certain battle with me a while back…"

Even in the darkness of the gloomily-illuminated parkland, the blush on his pale cheeks had grown definitely brighter. "You do?" _I'll bet she doesn't,_ he thought to himself, _then again, knowing my luck, she does…_

She smirked. "Oh yes. I remember being tackled, doing nothing…then, since you didn't throw any punches, I decided to just lie there…then I felt something against my stomach…"

Mildly humiliated, he tugged his arm away from her grasp, smiling bashfully. His head tilted down in embarrassment with the memory. "Now why would you remember a small detail like that…?"

She wasn't going to let him off a good embarrassing moment like that; she reached over and pulled his arm back. "From what I remember, it wasn't _small at all…"_

With that comment, he half-exploded with embarrassed laughter. Yes, embarrassed was the only word he could attach to himself at that point. "_Any_way…"

After that, she decided to let him off. No point in making him want to walk off on her. "Hm." A moment later, she swung around, and in one swift, graceful move, sat down again so she was straddling his thighs, facing him. "That's a little more comfortable."

He looked, at least in her eyes, a little startled at this sudden change of position. And it seemed Jin was right. His cheeks turned slightly pink again, and he leaned back on his hands. Typical shy reaction there. "That's better." A moment after, she rested her small hands against his neck, lightly, so as to avoid startling him again…and withdrew them at three times the speed they arrived.

Her reaction made him jump somewhat, and he looked up at her, perplexed. "Kazuya…your skin's like ice."

Smiling, he relaxed. "Oh, is that all. For a moment I thought you'd cut your arm off or something…"

Of course, she felt a little silly for leaping out of her skin like that. Bu frankly, it couldn't be healthy for him to be that cold. "You should be dead if you're that freezing…" She placed her hands on the centre of his chest, and after a couple of seconds, the coolness from his body seeped through his shirt and into the palms of her hands. Yes, he was definitely more and more like that Greek statue analogy she made of him earlier. Cold and perfect, icy in personality; perfectly chiselled, delicate in physiology. And physically, he might as well be made of stone. Cold, hard marble. So attractive, yet something beyond human. Somehow, that made him even more beautiful to her.

He rolled his raven eyes. "I _am_ dead, remember?"

How could she forget? No wonder he wasn't shivering. But she still felt that maternal instinct; to keep him warm and dry. In doing so, the blonde assassin pressed herself up against his icy chest, wrapping her soft, warm arms around his neck. "Well, dead or not, you don't need to sit there while you ice over…time to thaw you out."

As she hugged him, he just sat there, unmoving. He stayed in the exact same position as he'd been in earlier. After a few moments of absolutely no reaction, she glanced over at him suspiciously. What was he, gay? Sex goddess on his lap, and still he wasn't warming up?

Of course, there was a perfectly good reason behind him sitting there, doing nothing. He saw nothing sexual in her advance, even though his mind wanted to. He told himself that she was simply trying to do him a favour, following her female instincts, and trying to give him some warmth. It was a pity she didn't know it wouldn't work. "You're wasting your time…" His words were soft, though they in themselves were plain, cold and abrupt.

A small fleck of his dark, silky hair had become intertwined amongst the fingers of her right hand. "Don't tell me you stay as cold as a statue all your life…"

He shook his head slightly, managing to get his hair even more caught up in her playful fingers. "No. I'm only cold when I'm hungry."

A pale brown brow rose on her forehead. "Ah, Mr Mishima needs a drink…" A small smirk played on her full, shining lips. She shifted so her neck, when she dropped her head to the side, was mere inches from his lips. "Go on."

For a moment, he lost himself, and let his nose drop towards the pale, smooth skin before him. He caught a whiff of strong yet elegant, definitely expensive perfume, the faint smell of talc, and a hint of the powdery makeup on her face…the smell of a dignified woman. It set his senses on fire as soon as it hit his nose, and for a moment, he was filled with desire. His lips lowered and brushed against her warm, soft neck.

Remembering himself, he paused. "Are you sure?" He hated, with a passion, the idea of hurting someone, but only if it was for his own benefit or pleasure. If they deserved it, he was, as everyone was well aware, very willing and capable of making them suffer, and suffer well. 

Her fingers moved a little higher, her polished nails gently scratching lightly at his skin higher up in his thick hair. "Of course," she purred in his ear in the sexiest, deepest, huskiest voice she could manage, "I wouldn't have offered myself if I didn't want you to…"

The soft whisper, the warm puffs of soft air against his ear, sent shivers through his entire being. However, he resisted the building desire inside, and simply kissed her neck again, his lips barely touching her flesh. He noticed the downy hairs on her neck standing up as he touched her, and felt a light tug on his own hair where her fingers had found themselves a playground. All at once, the temptation was too much for him. One arm looped gently around her waist, and the other reached up to hold her upper arm, barely touching her. His lips parted again, but this time his canines were exposed. He felt her arm tense under his hand as the unnaturally sharp teeth sunk into her flesh, but other than that, she offered no reaction at all. In fact, she seemed to relax in his grasp. 

The guilt he'd grown accustomed to wasn't as strong as it normally was; it was barely there at all tonight. Slowly, the hot liquid escaped her, and poured past his lips, down his throat, and deep within him. He withdrew his canines, and kept his lips in place, not spilling a drop. He knew from experience not to draw on her, because that caused more pain than it was worth. He simply sat there, holding her, letting it come. For several minutes they sat there in silence, the sound of Nina's breath and the city in the distance all that offered any audible distraction. Within her grasp, she could slowly feel Kazuya's neck warming, along with the powerful chest she was resting against. The last thing to be granted heat and life were his lips, which remained cold for almost all the time he held her there.

Eventually he pulled back, letting just a small trickle escape the two round holes on her neck. She turned slightly to watch him as he leaned down again to slowly and delicately lick each of the little crimson rivers with the pointed tip of his tongue. As he did so with each, he would pause when he reached the hole, and with the ability he'd gained in becoming this dark creature, he closed the wound to the point all evidence of it had gone. With his stomach full and Nina's curiosity pacified, he nuzzled her shoulder softly with his nose and lips.

"Thank you…"

She snuggled up against his now warm body, silently basking in the delicious sensation of his face against her. She could feel his heartbeat through his chest now; it relaxed and soothed her. Her mind now a little foggy, she was perfectly happy to simply sit there in the safety of his powerful arms. "You're very welcome, Kazuya. Any time."

***

They'd sat there on the grass for another half an hour, practically in silence. Though both were reluctant to admit it, all they wanted was to remain in each other's grasp, and found comfort in such close quarters. 

And now they stood face to face in the hall of the hotel, between their respective rooms.

Nina was the first to break the silence. "Kazuya…" A cautious step forward, and she grasped his hands. _They're so refined,_ she thought to herself as she held them in her own,_ He's a fighter, he's so old, yet his hands are so…delicate. She'd expected them to be a little rougher perhaps, with thicker, clumsier digits so common in men where she came from. _

He said nothing; instead, he looked straight back into her eyes questioningly. A few hazy seconds of nothing ensued; then, without warning, she closed her eyes, leaned up, and captured his lips in hers. At first he didn't react, then slowly, but surely, he responded, letting her explore his mouth at her own will. His mouth still tasted of her blood, but she didn't mind. It characterised him so much more accurately. As his eyes too fell closed, her tongue explored this new territory; the dangerous weapons themselves, as she reached for the roof of his mouth, then his tongue too, his teeth, then back to play with his tongue. As far as kisses with men were concerned, this was the softest, most delicate, most _innocent_ kiss she'd ever experienced.

At first his mind was a whirlpool of pleasure, heightened desire, and the want for more. But of course, the sensation was familiar. Jun. Her face flashed through his mind, and he froze. Memories of her turning to look at him, smiling in that way oh so typical of Jun, her raven hair flowing like silk in the warm breeze, made his heart ache. And then he remembered his son. _Their_ son. Jin. With a slight, ragged sigh, he pulled back, his closed eyes looking down at the invisible ground in shame.

"I'm sorry…" His words were almost breathless, and wrought with sadness.

Her bright azure eyes opened again to look up at him, and as he eventually looked up at her through lowered lids, she saw the pain evident in those ebony orbs. It was guilt. She understood.

He tried to explain, but his tongue fumbled with the words; his lips wouldn't cooperate. He was torn. He was torn between the two; the saviour of his soul, his late guardian angel; and this dangerously sexy, gorgeous, and somewhat loyal assassin that had changed her desire for his blood into a want for him to take hers. He couldn't explain it with more than one word.

"…Jin…"

She sighed, closing her eyes, and rested one hand on his cheek. "I understand, Kazuya." That was all she could say to comfort him. "Good night."

***

He'd heard the unmistakable sound of a kiss outside the door as he lay in his bed, willing himself to sleep. The paper-thin walls of a hotel were never good as far as privacy of conversation went, so he heard everything. A definite kiss after quiet conversation down the hall. The kiss seemed short-lived, however; it was his father's apology that had broken it, so it would seem. He could almost feel the tension building on the other side of the door. Then he heard his name, and words from Nina in reply, as if to soothe the guilt he could tell his father was feeling. Hearing this, he rolled over to face away from the door, and fought back hot, stinging tears of loss. His mother flashed through his mind.

But Nina was not a woman he would grow to hate. He never knew his father as a boy, and he'd learned, especially now, of his love for his mother. And Jun was the sort of woman who would keep her love silent; it was obvious now how she felt about him. He also realised she'd want Kazuya to be happy, not to mourn her death seven years after her passing. He had to move on. Besides, he'd grown to like Nina a lot. She was not the fearsome, obnoxious woman he'd been led to believe. She was cool, actually. Of all people, he wouldn't mind her spending time with his father. 

The door creaked open as another one shut across the hall. He feigned sleep. The bed behind him, a few seconds later, creaked ever so slightly as weight was put upon it, and the sounds of rustling clothing followed. Light, crinkling fabric was easily recognisable; off came the shirt. The tinkling of a metal belt buckle followed, then a zipper's familiar sound, and the crumpling of a pair of slacks on the ground. The whole time, Jin as convincingly asleep. 

Then, there was no sound. After a few seconds, Jin realised there were sad eyes cast down upon him from behind him, watching him as he 'slept'. Sad paternal eyes, feelings of guilt and loss apparent in the raven orbs Jin knew were watching him. What seemed like eternity ensued before the shuffling of covers began, then slowly silenced, followed by a click as the lamp between the two beds was turned off, and darkness filled the room once more.

It was so painfully obvious. A man's heart could only be kept alone, without love, for so long. A man's heart, also, is always loyal to the first true love it finds. A man's heart, when thrown between the past loss and present offerings, would be torn under the pain and stress of the choice. Such a heart was always considered a pure one; no matter how much sin, deliberate or accidental, it would cause; that part of the heart was always pure in such a man. Kazuya was lonely, and it was Jin's fault.

If he weren't there, Nina and Kazuya would be together. But instead of mourning over the drama unfolding, Jin smiled.

He knew what he had to do; he had to make sure they succeeded.

Jun would have wanted it; she would understand. She was his guardian angel, after all.


	12. Behold

A/N: I wrote this chapter in the school library, since I was SO inspired to do so after reading a few reviews out of boredom. There will be ANOTHER chapter coming out in a few hours too, so today's a double bonus! Wheee!

Ignore any typos. I wrote this on a Shitbomb jellymac thing. You know, those horrible OS9 things that look like oversized jelly jubes? Yeah. Keyboard is killing me, so's my back. The mouse is a pig. Yeah, just read the story! This chappie will continue later today.

***

Early the next morning, Jin was, once again, the first to wake up. With a soft yawn, he sat up and stretched, glancing sleepily over at his dozing father on the other bed. At least he'd decided to leave his shorts on today, since he'd obviously had a restless night. His pillow was on the floor again, along with most of his blankets, though what was still tucked into the end of the bed had managed to entangle his ankles and feet. One arm hung over the side of the bed, the knuckles resting on the ground below. Yep…restless night.

Today, he remembered not to throw the curtains open and scare the living…nightlights…out of the poor man. Instead, he got up and opened the fridge. He figured he'd be in this place at least another week, so he'd re-stocked the tiny fridge beneath the television with things to eat at breakfast and supper. Grabbing a small box of cereal from the counter above, a bowl from the table next to the television, and a drink-size tetra-pak of milk, he prepared for a nice easy breakfast in front of the TV in bed.

After a few minutes of crunching sounds from Jin and the constant static of the muted TV, Kazuya finally awoke. He was only half awake when he noticed his pillow was gone (by accidentally knocking the back of his head against the wooden board at the head of the bed), which of course brought him back out of his sleepiness and into the land of the living. Groggily, he reached down and retrieved the seeming decoration for the bed - since it seemed to serve no purpose during the night – and put it back where it belonged; the sheets over the top of him, and the pillow behind his head.

Then he noticed the TV blathering on about nothing, and Jin eating his breakfast. Hm, he must've slept in again. Slowly, the previous night's events returned to his mind with a painful sting; why did all this have to happen to him? He would have been content with having a family – one love, bringing up their children together. Before the second tournament, if he'd have heard that, he'd think he was insane. But the loss of a love he'd taken for granted was enough to change his mind over the past twenty years. Now, he was left with a son he never knew he had, and a woman trying to replace the love he lost. It wasn't working for him, somehow. He'd always liked Nina for some reason, but for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to allow himself to submit to his only true weakness; love.

He saw that very reason slopping cornflakes down his naked chest and swearing at the sudden cold.

"I'm sure your mother would have told you to be more careful, so I won't even bother reminding you…" Kazuya gave the boy a mischievous grin.

Jin rolled his eyes and smiled, whilst wiping himself with a tissue. "I'm gonna have a shower after this anyway, and steal some of your clothes. Mom would have said I ought to wear a baby's bib under my chin, by the way…" He chuckled, and continued eating, watching the TV with little enthusiasm.

The mention of her, even though he inadvertently brought up the topic, brought pain along with it. Just like last night. But after a few hours of stewing on it, he felt it was all alright. Even so, it sobered his mood, and he sank back down so he was lying beneath the covers.

Jin glanced at him as he put his bowl down on the bedside table. "Something wrong, Otousan?"

Mildly surprised, Kazuya glanced over at the boy, one brow perked. "No…why?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, it just seemed like you were worried about something, or something like that."

Of course he was, but he couldn't share with Jin of all people; no, he would keep it to himself. No one else needed to know. Besides, that was his way; keep all his pain to himself so no one would know, think he was fine, and get on with their lives, letting him get on with his. _Until Jun came along…_ "No…what makes you say that?" He forced a small smile.

"I dunno. You just looked it. I get funny ideas about things sometimes."

Kazuya let the topic drop at that point. He yawned and kicked the covers off, stretched, and stood up. The suitcase he brought back from his apartment was open and lying, still packed, on the floor, ready to be rummaged through. From it he pulled out a white singlet, a pair of khaki trousers (with ample legroom and pockets, of course) and a hoodie with a zip on the front. He tossed them at Jin, along with a pair of satin boxers, since that seemed to be what Jin liked wearing. "You might need that…"

Jin chuckled and caught the incoming clothes. Kazuya, in the meantime, dug around to see if he could find anything for himself to wear that was slightly more casual than usual. Ah yes; a black, tight singlet; dark blue jeans, of the baggy variety; and another hooded jacket. Along with it, underwear of course, a pair of grey socks, and sneakers, which he set aside for later. He grabbed a toiletry bag and headed for the bathroom. 

While Kazuya was having a shower, Jin turned off the mute on the TV. After all, the news was always worth listening to. 

Apparently, particularly today.

He'd caught the tail end of news about the King of Iron Fist Tournament; apparently, a re-match was being organised between all four involved in the semi-finals; and Steve Fox had decided to drop out of the fight completely. The Mafia organization had, after all, stopped hounding him after being caught by the police; and he wanted to go back home. The one to go to the finals, the fight before the battle with Heihachi, was Craig Marduk. The other two contestants were obviously Kazuya, and Jin himself.

And now, what was the point of continuing the battle? He knew he couldn't beat the old man, but Kazuya could. Originally, he wanted to destroy the entire Mishima line, but with Kazuya now on his side, what was the point? He'd let his father continue on through the tournament. Besides, he of all people deserved the Zaibatsu. _May no one get in his way_, the boy thought to himself. 

Ten minutes of watching the news was interrupted when Kazuya stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed. He sat down on the bed and pulled on his shoes. Jin couldn't help but notice how much younger he looked when out of the formality of a business suit. The two of them might as well have been twin brothers.

"Jin, I have to tidy up a few things again today. You'll be alright, right?"

Jin shrugged. "Yeah, I'm going to try and find something to do. Namely organise getting back into Japan permanently." He thought he might as well continue, however. "Oh, and about the tournament…you'll be fighting Craig Marduk."

Kazuya perked a brow. "What about you?"

The mahogany eyes cast themselves away. "My reasons for entering were purely selfish. I don't want to continue any further. Steve dropped out too, you and Marduk are the only two contestants left." He shrugged. "You deserve the Zaibatsu more than anyone else anyway. And you're the only one with a prayer of beating Heihachi."

The older Mishima's face was unreadable, until he smiled. "If you insist. Don't worry, I'll probably need your help tidying up the Zaibatsu together…and I'll leave you a few scraps of Heihachi to beat around some after the tournament."

As he walked out the door, he smiled back at his son. "Thanks, Jin."


	13. Gratification

A/N: As promised, second update today. Might do some more, who knows. Three-chapter-wonder day might be in order.

Btw, if you REALLY want to get into the theme of this story, then download the theme music. This is 'Anywhere' by Evanescence. I swear, I'm not being stupid here. Go and re-read chapter 11, and listen to that song in the meantime. It just suits! It'll make the break-up just a little sadder. Go on, go download it if you haven't already got it. It's worth it, in my opinion.

And as for Jakunen Mirai, there are a few themes for that too. 'Numb' by Linkin Park is Kazuya's theme all over, in any story, in any dimension, any timeline. So it fits Jakunen Mirai well. Another one that is fun to have playing is 'Run' by Pacifier, formerly known as Shihad. I'm not talking a hole in my head, these songs really suit my stories, because I write with the songs playing! That's what makes the mood of these stories. So if you want to get a little more into it. Go for the songs!

If not…then blah. I dun care. Blarg. Do what you wish.

***

After a half-hearted bite to eat, Nina exited the diner, leaving half of her lunch behind. Her mind was on other things. She found herself wandering around the streets of Tokyo almost aimlessly, her mind off on its own in a distant universe. The warm sun filtering through the occasional, fluffy white clouds warmed her skin from beneath her grey turtleneck, but inside, she was still cold.

She'd set herself up for a fall, and taken it.

She should have known that he wouldn't have been receptive. He had never been a people's person, why had she expected him to suddenly become one for her? He would only ever love one woman, even if she was dead. Hell, he was dead too.

Since the grass was dry and warm, she had no resignation about crashing down on it…ironically enough, in almost exactly the same spot that she'd led Kazuya the night before. The night before came rushing into her mind as soon as she inadvertently followed its every movement; his delicate, almost fearful hand resting on her waist, the other lightly grasping her arm, his lips pressed to her neck, his warming breath tickling the hair on the back of her neck. The moments they shared sitting together after his little meal; his silent submission to her attention. No wonder Jun loved him. She knew Jun was hired to do nearly the same thing as her; dispose of him…only in very different ways. Ironic how he avoided it, really. Both fell for him, but one succeeded in thawing out his icy heart.

She was the failure. But she didn't want to be. She knew she could have won him, after all, she was, in the eyes of a great many, a lot more attractive than Jun. Hell, she had _curves…how did Kazuya resist the temptation?_

Maybe it was hopeless trying to win such a creature's love and affection. And she remembered how horrible she'd been, indirectly, to him in the past – sworn to have him dead. Typical elusive Kazuya, though. He'd avoided her every attack. And even now, his heart was eluding her. She wanted him, she had to admit it at this point, but she was having a great deal of difficulty accepting that he was out of her reach – he was too much of an enigma.

But it was enigmatic, mysterious men that tantalised her the most. The charming bastards that tried to tempt her and woo her outright ought to die; it was these dark, elusive characters that had her screaming for more. Pity they were always the hardest to get.

The sudden awareness of another person nearby was the only thing that brought her back to reality. Beside her, Jin had just sat down, and was looking at her thoughtfully, his tilted on an angle, the side of a finger pressed to his rosy lips.

"You love him, don't you?" His voice was without accusation or hatred. Bizarre.

She blushed slightly, and turned away to face the river. "I don't know who you're talking about."

His lips formed a soft smile. "What if I was talking about the man you kissed last night?"

That brought her attention to his words. Startled, she looked at him with saucer-plate eyes for one moment, and found herself having to hold back tears of shame in the next. She'd openly flirted with the boy's _father_, and he knew. "You…you don't hate me…do you Jin?"

Both his brows shot up with that, and he shook his head hastily. "No no, of course not!" The smile returned to his face, and he pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. "Why would I be? I mean…you are just trying to make him happy, aren't you? Stop him from being so lonely?" One would have thought it was a friend of brother he was referring to.

She shrugged. "That's one way of putting it, I suppose. I'm so sorry Jin, I didn't mean to…well, I know how much Jun means to the both of you, and I don't want to replace her, because I know I can't…I just, I dunno, Jin…I…"

He interrupted her before she tied herself up in more knots. "Love him." It was as simple as that. He looked at her straight, staying silent until he had her complete attention. "Nina, don't you realise he loves you too?" The serious tone in his voice was more than enough to make her eyes widen in surprise and relief, but with definite disbelief. "I know you can't replace Mom, she was too much of a wonderful person for anyone to replace…but in your own way, you can fill the gap in his heart. Imagine it…being alone for twenty years just after you've discovered your first love…and being too scared to return, or fill the growing void within your heart. I can see right through him, ya know?" He found his eyes following a pair of ducks waddling about on the grass, frenzied by the barrage of bread crumbs coming from a pair of young children standing on the bank. "I can tell he loves you, Nina. The only reason he won't let himself is me. It's my fault." 

His last statement was barely audible, and when Nina glanced at him, he was looking down at the grass, almost as if he felt the guilt for a crime he didn't commit. "Oh no, Jin, surely…"

He held a hand up to stop her. "He said it himself. He feels guilty for pursuing another relationship while he has a son. I've grown to know him incredibly well in the short time we've known each other. He would never betray my respect by going with a woman other than my mother; he knows what damage it does to a child to have a parent show love to someone who isn't the other parent." His soft, hazel eyes caught Nina's. "But he forgets that I'm twenty-one years old now. I'm old enough to look after myself, and I understand how he feels." Again, his eyes found the ducks, and he chuckled silently as one attacked the other for stealing its bread crust. "Hell, I'm only this age and I feel the pain of loneliness. I can only imagine how he feels."

Now if only Steve were so mature. She'd learned of her violation whilst in cryogenic stasis. While she's grown to appreciate her son, she still feels filthy, violated, for being used as nothing but a reproduction machine, and against her consent. Against her will. With a son like that, Kazuya should have known he could let his soul rest at ease. A smile, for the first time today, crossed Nina's lips. "So you don't mind me being around your Dad?"

A wide, happy grin broke across his face. "Of course not! Actually, I think it would do him good. You're so much better than a lot of women he could have chosen from…if anyone were to try and replace my mother…I want it to be you."

Before she could react, he reached out and hugged her as a close friend. "Go on, go find him."

She took no second order; she stood up after returning his hug and giving him a light peck on the cheek, and set out in search for the object of her dreams.

As he watched her go, he felt two ways about the situation he'd created. On the one hand, he was happy for his father. It was a good thing for him, this relationship with Nina; but on the other hand, how could such a soul as Jun be replaced? It hurt to see one parent find attraction in someone else, but considering his family history, it was no sin. He was a 'bastard child' anyway; the product of an unmarried couple's enjoyment. But his parents were good people, that he couldn't deny. He regretted nothing of his past.

He hoped, in fact he _knew, he would regret none of his future to come._


	14. Fire

A/N: Yep, I'm mad. Chapter 14 is here. Three chapters in one day!

Dern, I've gotta continue more of my other stories. Man, I suck…

***

It was in a dark, secluded corner, deep within a dimly lit café that she finally found him. And at first, she didn't even recognise him; it was purely by chance that she found her Kazuya Mishima hiding in the corner, in mufti.

He looked decidedly teen-ish, too, what with the black hood pulled over his face, the overly baggy trousers, and the black tank-top. The sneakers and youthful looks didn't help much either. But she did find him. He didn't look too enthusiastic about anything; his hood was pulled down quite a way over his face, his head was tilted down, and he looked like he might fall asleep, slouched across the couch like that.

Since there was a sofa opposite him, she sat down where she could see his face. He hadn't even noticed her arrival. And then she got cold feet. How to start a conversation, especially after last night? It seemed like an impossible task.

"How's it going?" His dark eyes snapped open when he heard her quiet question, looking up at her in surprise, but deep within them, she saw the confusion and pain, too. 

He shrugged. "Alright."

Suddenly, she felt terribly unwelcome. "Not very talkative, huh?"

He sighed, and slumped down a little further. "I dunno, Nina. I'm sorry." 

Somehow, she knew that he was still feeling like everything was his fault, and his fault alone. She had to rectify that. She took a deep breath, trying to find the words to release with it, trying to remember everything Jin had said; his deep, soft voice was soothing enough to calm her burning nerves. "I spoke to Jin a few hours ago…"

Those words obviously made him worried, since it reflected in his eyes. But she continued, nevertheless. "He's a smart boy. He talked to me about last night…"

_Last night…shit…_he thought to himself. _He'll hate me for the rest of eternity. "Really? What did he say?" __God, I don't want to know. Please don't let him hate me…don't let him hate me…_

What the hell did he say? He said that he thinks they should get together. Now how do you tell that to a stubborn prick like Kazuya who wouldn't even believe it from the boy's mouth himself? "I can't really remember everything he said, but he doesn't hate you. Apparently, he doesn't hate me either." She thought about her words for a moment, her eyes keeping well away from Kazuya's for fear of choking on her words…she, of all women, hated to the nth degree, being choked with emotion. "He was awake when we were out in the hall. He heard everything. And he feels guilty for holding you back…he knows that I can't replace Jun, and the both of us know it too…no one could replace her…but the fact is, he's realised our feelings, and he doesn't blame us. He _wants_ you to stop being so lonely, Kazuya. And even…even if you do find someone else, then at least you won't be on your own. After all, you have the rest of eternity ahead of you, anyway…" She knew at this point she was babbling, but she couldn't find the off switch. "…A thousand, two thousand years…it'll never end…you're really only human inside…and he doesn't want you to…mmph!"

She was cut off. Because she'd been facing away, and concentrating on her words, she hadn't seen or heard him move. It was his lips, actually, that stopped her talking. The words of forgiveness, passed on second-hand from him to his son, were enough to kill the pain of guilt and regret in his aching heart, and his growing love for the Irish beauty was allowed to blossom. Silently, he'd leaned over her, and placed his lips over hers, deliberately cutting her off in mid sentence. 

She didn't know how to take it at first, of course. Those deliciously soft lips of his pressed against hers, the pointed tip of his tongue brushing against her, begging for permission, begging for silence. It was the first time he'd ever made a move; before this, it'd always been her bringing them together. He was such an enigma – he was beyond mystery, beyond confusing. His darkness, his coldness, his silence; what lay beyond it had never been revealed to human eyes, other to one angelic figure…and now, at just the tip of the iceberg, Nina. When she felt his tongue against her lips, she parted them, allowing him to do as he pleased with her. At this point, she didn't care whether he simply left it at that, or if he groped her in the middle of the café, or even if he raped her then and there. She just wanted him…all of him. As much as he would give her, then twice as much again.

For once, her invitation was too much for him, and he couldn't resist…what was different, was the fact that he took the initiative to act. As he placed one knee down on the couch, half-straddling her, he closed his eyes, tilted his head to the side, and kissed her, again, deeper than before, and with a restrained, hinted, innocent passion. One cooled hand lightly brushed her jawbone as he explored deeper within her mouth, and a low moan erupted from her throat against her will at his delightful outburst of affection. She knew it would be a rare, rare moment. His kiss was returned with her fiery passion, without hesitation. Her arms, against her orders, found themselves draped around his shoulders, drawing him closer.

For at least half a minute, they shared a secret, silent passion, hidden within the convenient hood of his jacket. It was he, of course, that eventually broke the kiss. As he did, his eyes slowly parted, his lips falling shut again. Nina found herself longing for more, but obeyed, and looked up at him. What she saw was an expression she never thought she'd see on him; though at first glance he looked as emotionless as usual, she saw deep within his ebony eyes a tenderness she'd never imagined seeing in him of all people. Yes, he definitely loved her. And she loved him even more. What started as a lust for his God-like body had blossomed into outright adoration and idolisation. 

He broke the stare, too, and nuzzled the curve of her neck with an almost freaky level of grace. Either vampires were all unusually smooth and graceful in their movements, or hew as truly a rare find. As she moaned with the incredible feeling, he drew back again, and looked up at her.

"It's starting to get late…shall we go back to the hotel?" Inadvertently, his voice sounded deeper and more breathy than normal, and somewhat husky, inviting. 

She smirked. "Why not…"

***  
  
Again, there they were, standing outside their respective rooms. This time, however, they kissed each other without reservation. 

Nina reached down, and tugged on his wrist playfully. "Do you want my second room card now?" The smirk on her face was so suggestive it would make any red-blooded male's heart explode with desire.

Yet, he shook his head and smiled as innocently as ever. "No."

That wasn't the answer she was expecting. "…No?"

He nodded. "Too early for that."

Oh, how she hated those innocent types. Please, both of them had children to prove their lack of virginity. Was it necessary to play this coy game of purity? "Says who?" She pouted, and put her hands on her hips.

Again, he tempted fate and her anger. "Me." He lowered his lips, and lightly nipped at her neck with his front teeth, before heading for his own room. "Maybe some time in the future."

She rolled her eyes, and watched him fumble with his door card. As she watched on, she lowly eased the top of her singlet down, which was exposed since she had removed her turtleneck. Slowly, more of her cleavage was exposed. "You sure?"

When he looked around, his entire body chilled, and everything below his waist tingled. He smirked cheekily, then leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "Yes." Then, he disappeared inside his own room.

_Damn his playfulness! Damn him…_ she thought, pulling her singlet back up after the door opposite her had closed. _Damn him to Hell._ After cursing damnation upon him, she smiled, and went back to her room.


	15. Lightning

It had been a few days since anything hair-raising had happened in Tokyo…but something was about to erupt today, any minute.

It was the day of the reorganised competition. The finals were on. 

Jin and Nina were lucky enough to score front-row seats within the grand-stand of the massive arena, with at least a hundred thousand people behind them and around them. The sound of people yammering amongst themselves was deafening enough; but they knew, from the boisterous nature of Iron Fist crowds, it would get much, much worse, very soon. A few people recognised the pair of them, and were immediately asking for autographs and hand-shaking and such. Of course, to avoid a mad crowd, they refused until after the bouts were over.

***

Standing down the bottom of the stone expanse of the arena, next to the judges' table, was the announcer, armed with a glass of water. He was chatting with the judges, obviously looking very excited about the upcoming event; it was truly to be the Clash of the Titans.

"I doubt this Mishima fellow is going to compare with Craig Marduk, after witnessing the past fights…" He placed down his water at the front of the desk. "I mean, look at the size difference…"  
  


One of the judges peered up at him through coke-bottle frames. "Don't forget that Kazuya Mishima _is a Mishima…they have an uncanny way of surprising people, especially when it comes to size."_

The announcer didn't look too sure. "That's Heihachi. This Kazuya character is awfully small…I'm taller than him!"

Another judge shook her head and smiled. "After watching Ling Xiaoyu get the quarter finals effortlessly, I'd say size and speed are inversely proportional…"

Again, the announcer didn't look convinced. "I'd be willing to believe you if the guy had a little more muscle bulk. It's one of the smallest male fighters I've seen here. Heck, his son's bigger than him!"

From behind the coke-bottle frames, the first judge shook his head, just as the woman next to him had. "Kazama's style is phenomenally different. Traditional karate takes a lot more strength than Mishima karate."

***  
  
At the opposite side of the arena was a large opening beneath the stadium seating, leading to the underground. Within the musty room, panic had erupted. Kazuya stood, dressed in nothing but his white Gi pants and a black karate belt, with his arms folded impatiently over his chest. Others were scurrying around him in a state of elevated excitement, to say the least; apparently, Marduk's outfit had been ruined when someone spilled something on it, and there was a mad rush to find something to replace it.

Looks like the tournament was going to start late. Sighing softly, Kazuya sat down on a seat, just out of view of the crowd, and waited as patiently as he could. The announcer had been right; he was small. Quite a number of the previous contestants had towered over him, and even now, a decent number of the people scurrying about were over six foot; hence, taller than he. And he didn't seem to make up for a lack of height with width, either. His muscle mass was extremely compact, except for his arms, which were clearly where his formidable strength lay. Even so, he had always looked perfectly normal in a shirt; not disproportionably large like many fighters.

A young woman rushed up to him, and hesitantly tapped his arm. He glanced up at her passively, the boredom evident on his face. "Mr Mishima sir, the tournament is ready to begin…" She certainly sounded nervous. After all, for this man to be one of the two finalists, he _had_ to be good.

He stood, and nodded. "Thank you."

***

"The final round of the King of Iron Fist Four is about to begin, ladies and gentlemen. This is the deciding round of who will face Heihachi Mishima himself!" As the announcer mentioned the name, Kazuya resisted the urge to kill something. He ought to save that for the hairy bastard he was going to fight in a moment.

"The first contestant, all the way from the United States of America, the world's former Vale Tudo fighter champion, Craig Marduk!"

The crowd erupted in screams and cheers as Marduk ran in from the underground door opposite the one Kazuya was standing behind, throwing his arms in the air and basically congratulating himself for winning a fight that hadn't been fought yet. The majority of the cheering came from the American groups scattered throughout the crowd; the Japanese audience merely clapped politely as he made his entry.

Nina and Jin glanced at each other nervously – this guy was at least twice the size of the opponent they were barracking for.

The massive creature was still waving at the screaming crowd; today, unlike the last tournament, he was wearing green and purple spandex – way too tight – and was sporting much, much more hair on his chest than he was on his bald head. This was one opponent Kazuya was not looking forward to beating; sure, the huge oaf would never be able to land a fist on him, but Kazuya certainly _did not want to even _touch_ the creature! Yuck…_

"And our second contestant for this fantastic competition, ladies and gentlemen: Fighting in his hometown of Tokyo, and ranking as one of the two only masters of Mishima Karate left in the world; Kazuya Mishima!"

Kazuya heard his cue, and simply walked out of the underground casually, not expecting much of a reaction out of the crowd after Craig's round of cheering. But he was soon to be proved very, very wrong. As soon as he stepped out into the open, the audience went absolutely ballistic. What seemed like a deafening cheer last time was drowned out completely by the euphoric screams and cheers from the crowd above. He blushed slightly when he realised it was _him they were cheering for; and it wasn't just them. The television cameras all around the place were broadcasting this final bout to billions across the entire planet – and judging by the crowd reaction, there were many more millions screaming for him than this mere tenth of a million seated all around him._

As he continued to walk towards Marduk, he pondered making the crowd scream just a little more…it was making him feel fantastic! People actually wanted to see him fight! After a few seconds of carefully scanning the audience, he managed to spot Nina and Jin sitting in the front row; he threw a hand up and waved at them, smiling slightly. Of course, the crowd's cheers rose to a painful level all around the stadium as a result…and Marduk didn't look happy.

"Come on pretty boy, enough showing off already!" Yes, not happy at all.

Kazuya arched a brow and smirked. The entire crowd heard that, since sitting on each of their belts was a miniscule, super-sensitive microphone that would not only pick up their voices and play them over the super-powerful speaker system, but also play every hit, punch, kick and fall as if each member of the crowd were only inches away from the impact. "If I were you, I would take off that arrogant face of yours…no, wait…" he stopped, smirked, and added to that. "Why not just take off that face completely? It would do your image a world of good…" The entire crowd erupted with laughter…except the small number of Craig fans.

"That does it! I'll break your face!" The American's lower eyelid was twitching with barely contained anger at this point.

Kazuya gave him a smug look. He loved this. "Only if you can catch me…"

The announcer stepped up to the two of them before the bickering and insults could elevate further. "Final round about to begin, boys. This is officially a non-timed match, and has tag-battle status; no continue, except in the case of a draw. Are you ready?" Both nodded silently, stepped back to the legally required two-metre starting distance, and held their poses. 

The announcer stepped back. "Fight!" Before the two could start, he ran back to the judges' table, out of the way.

Just as the fight was announced officially started, Craig took no chances, and literally threw himself at Kazuya side-on. From that distance, it was a nightmare to dodge, and Kazuya only barely managed it by performing a premature cross-arms dive right over the top of the beast…who ended up hitting the slate floor with an almighty crunch. The sound of him hitting the ground was broadcast over at least a hundred countries…all of which would have gasped or winced in pain along with Marduk. Kazuya, on the other hand, landed perfectly on both feet after somersaulting along the ground. He spun around to witness Craig getting back to his feet awkwardly.

"You little coward, Mishima…" Marduk wiped his face on the back of a hairy arm, and stood. 

Kazuya brushed off his arms too, and stood back in his fighting stance, facing Craig side-on. "Who's the coward? _I_ certainly didn't launch myself at someone half my body weight…"

Craig snarled and launched himself at Kazuya again, this time with a simple one-two punch…though his hands were almost as big as Kazuya's entire head. The smaller man, having anticipated such a move from the monster, crouched down and sprung forward, easily avoiding the fists that struck so very much higher than his head level; as he was just beneath his opponent, right fist ready to strike, and with the force of a super-coiled spring, he launched upward, his fist connecting with Craig's chest. The force of the simple attack displayed the raw power in the man's slender figure; the 6'8" beast was thrown back and high into the air, landing with a sickening thud a good five metres away from his starting point. 

By this point, Craig was already starting to get a little dizzy from his rough-handling. He forced himself up though, and once again, in blind rage, threw himself at Kazuya, who was so far unscathed. He caught him completely surprise; the large hand wrapped itself around the smaller man's neck, holding him up high in the air; Kazuya struggled for air.

Before Kazuya could try and free himself from the iron-fisted grasp, Craig threw him down into the ground, and leapt on top of him. Then, at his perfect ease, he began to throw one punch after another at the Mishima's vulnerable face. The first fist connected with Kazuya's cheek, knocking his face to the side; but the second one, he grabbed; Craig, surprised at the block, was not prepared for a good kick in the stomach – which was indeed what he was rewarded with for his troubles.

Kazuya stood up where he was, and Craig once again sprawled backwards. This time, Kazuya didn't wait for an incoming attack. While Craig was still on the ground, he threw himself head-over-heels on top of the larger man – his rather dangerous demon scissors kick – and somersaulted back onto his feet. He didn't stop there though; while Craig was still down, he crouched down and spun around twice, one leg extended, and flipped the man into the air. Of course, following that, he threw his right leg high into the air, the momentum of the resulting strike sending Marduk higher into the air, then brought the same foot crashing to the ground…and Craig with it.

The crowd went berserk again as he stepped back from the man; Karate was indeed an art not to be reasoned with. Eventually, Craig got back to his feet. His lip was bleeding, and he was looking worn out. Kazuya, on the other hand, was only developing a bruise on his cheek and around his neck, but nothing else. 

"You little shit…"  
  
Kazuya smirked. "What, you're still conscious?" He got a snarl in reply. "Well, I'll just have to rectify that…"

Before Craig could respond, Kazuya round-housed him in the head, followed by a short punch in the stomach; as the man fell, he knocked him back up with a knee to the face, then an Entrails Smash to the gut…sending him to the ground again.

Craig lay there for a while, then rolled onto his hands and knees…and stood again. Kazuya raised a brow. "Tough little bastard aren't you…"

Craig let out an incoherent scream; by this point, he was almost literally frothing at the mouth. He threw both massive fists out at the small Mishima, but once again, he wasn't fast enough. Kazuya parried the incoming fists, then ducked down…a second later, Craig got himself a Demon Godfist to the stomach. But it didn't end there; as he fell backwards, Kazuya ducked down again. Sparks of brilliant red electricity flew around one clenched fist. Craig managed to get to his feet, only to see Kazuya spin around once, still crouched down. He'd seen this attack before, but thought, as a result of his arrogance, that he'd be able to block it, unlike every other fighter that tried. Too late; Kazuya sprung up again, more red sparks flying about his body…

The crowd went absolutely deafeningly wild as the massive creature was sent flying backwards across the arena…and landed a good fifteen metres away. The attack could almost be classed as _too_ powerful, though it only ever took off a maximum of 'eighty points' from someone's health. The sheer force of the Lightning Uppercut had sent Kazuya slightly airborne, and as Craig came plummeting down, he too landed softly on his feet, holding his well-used fist in the other hand. He didn't use that attack often, mainly because the sheer impact usually hurt his knuckles somewhat. 

He was announced the winner of the bout when Craig was carted off, uninjured but unconscious all the same. People were already rushing up to him with television cameras and microphones, and the crowd didn't seem to want to shut up. He noted to himself that it was a fair fight – with the sun high in the sky above, there was no way he could have used his vampire's strength. What reminded him of it was the fact that his skin was starting to feel a little burnt. 

"Congratulations Mr Mishima!"

"What a wonderful bout, Kazuya Mishima…"

"Can you tell us how you did it?"

"What are your feelings as to your victory?"

As the numerous questions came forth, Kazuya couldn't think of an answer; except for one. He gave one stoic reply to all of the reporters.

"You can ask me all the questions you wish when I've defeated Heihachi."

***  
  
From behind a tinted glass window, high above the rest of the crowd below, Heihachi Mishima watched on in angered silence. It seemed he would be fighting his hated son after all. 

He let out an annoyed sigh. A puff of vapour escaped his lips as he did, and he sat back in his armchair. It was freezing cold in his personal stadium room, but that was the way he liked it. 

_Damn you, Kazuya,_ his mind spoke, the hate and anger rising in his old blood, _damn you to Hell. Damn you to Hell._


	16. Decadence

A/N: Sat at my old rice-burning computer to give you a quick update of Crimson. Yes, my network died on Tuesday – the computer with all my files on it decided to cut itself out of the wireless network, so it now has no link to the other comps, and no internet! Grh. I'm still stewing. Oh well, the guy is coming to kick it tomorrow morning. This computer I'm typing at is a '98 PC from Vietnam…we lived there for a while after all. It's a good lil thing, but the keyboard bites. Any typos you find are a result of the nasty keys. P

Random disclaimer: I dun own Tekken, as we all know. There is a quick coupling in this story too that needs a disclaimer too; you'll see what I mean. Chibi_Sugarbaby, I admit I did sort of borrow your idea…but believe me I'm not going to get into detail over it and such. I hope I'm not plagiarising, since so few people have used this pair, and you're the first to write about it…but hey. It seemed to be rather suitable, and my poor little baby is lonely ^_^ He needs a 'friend'. This time tho, it's love at first sight, so I guess that's very different from your story ^__^;; Thanks for not suing me ;

***

The hotel function room was ablaze with golden decorations and chandeliers; the air was filled with pleasant, mildly cheerful orchestral music from the five-piece string band playing in the corner – and of course, the light-hearted, merry chuckles and conversation of the well-dressed people standing around, sipping their champagne and nibbling their appetisers.

It had been a fight well fought and well won – this event was the scheduled celebration of the end of the finals. Many of the former fighters had opted to join the celebration, and were dressed accordingly. Even the red-headed Korean boy had managed to rent out a tidy-looking suit to match the mood. 

Jin too, had managed to get his hands on a very smart-looking suit; black, except for a deep maroon shirt, and a chrome-shaded tie. A half-full crystal glass of champagne rested in his hand, and he swirled it about with close to no interest. He should have fought in the tournament…but for some reason, he felt honour in backing down, allowing the better fighter to proceed to the finals. Something in his heart told him to make way for his father – after all, he knew that his father would always treat him with love and respect. He was all he had left in this world. The relationship was the same in both directions.

A young girl passed him by, bumping into his arm on the way past. The solid muscular mass was knocked forward, and Jin almost spilled his glass…but caught himself just in time. She squeaked in surprise, and fell to the ground.

He glanced down, slightly startled, and saw a young Japanese girl in a short, spaghetti-sleeved evening-gown, with her copper-toned hair styled in a series of ruffled spikes. He was immediately entranced.

She looked up at him, and immediately started spouting apologies, and begging forgiveness. A shy smile crept across his face, followed by a mild blush, and he reached down to offer a slender hand for assistance.

"Hirano Miharu, right?" 

She took his hand, and turned red. "Yes…how…how did you know?"

As he pulled her to her feet gently, he placed his drink down on a tray a waiter was carrying as he hurried past with empty glasses. "I remember you from earlier in the tournament. May I say you look absolutely stunning tonight?" Little did he know what an effective flirt he was, especially when he didn't realise he was doing it.

She blushed even more, and covered her lips with one small hand. "Wow…you really think so?"

The handsome young man nodded. "Yeah…you're like…wow."

Elsewhere in the room, standing by the drinks table, was Nina Williams. A few camera crews had passed by her every now and again, but they were a little weary of her. Perhaps it was the emerald blue satin gown she wore, hanging just above the knees. Or perhaps it was the dark gloves of the same colour that sat above her elbows – but more likely, it was the spiked choker she had around her neck. In all her elegance, she still looked dangerous. 

"Ms Williams…would you know by chance where the guest of honour is?" It was yet another dashing young reporter, armed with a microphone.

She shrugged unenthusiastically, and folded her arms over her exposed cleavage. "I have no idea where the man is. He's a lone wolf, remember?" She only wished that wouldn't stay the same for long.

He smiled at her, and nodded. "Thank you anyway, Ms Williams." He dared not call her by name.

It was another quarter of an hour before anything interesting happened. But when the action started, everyone knew about it – mainly because everyone was the cause of the commotion. A masculine figure entered through the mahogany double doors of the function room, dressed in a dark blue suit, a shirt of a similar colour, and a deep indigo-shaded silk tie. The thick raven hair, slicked back as it had been, was immediately recognised by everyone who saw him; he'd arrived.

Kazuya's face was emotionless as he entered the room – in fact, he looked bored more than anything. That is, until the entire crowd of people piped up, with cheers, whistles and screams, amongst a foray of enthusiastic applause. When he saw so many people smiling at him, clapping, calling his name, he couldn't help but smile back; a slight, very shy smile. It was one of his first, very rare, public smiles – since, many years ago, he'd been known for being so stoic.

After a moment he glanced about to see if he could find Nina amongst the smartly-dressed crowd…no luck, however. He did find, to his dismay, a group of screaming teenage girls rushing up to him at great pace. He stopped dead when he spotted them.

"Oh my GAWD it's Kazuya Mishima!"

"Oh my GAWD he's so hot!"

"Oh my GOD can you sign my bra?"

"Oh my…" Before they could continue, he raised a hand to silence them. Like magic, they paused in their ranting.

"Please, girls…if you want to harass someone, try harassing my son…he's of a more appropriate age." They started cooing over him again a moment, before he spotted Jin and pointed towards him…most of them squealed with delight and rushed at the younger man…who looked up in horror.

When they were gone, he breathed a sigh of relief…only to find something curl around his arm. Startled, he whipped around to see who it was…only to find himself staring at Nina.

"Don't worry, I'm not a fangirl…" She grinned.

He scowled for a moment, but then couldn't help but smile. "Don't scare me like that. I hate boppers…"

A thin brow perked. "You've had boppers after you before?"

He simply shook his head and smiled. "Now why would a group of girls in trainer bras be interested in a fifty-year-old undead fighter?"

She shrugged, and pulled him toward the crowd by the wrist. "Maybe it's because you're the sexiest male in the room."

***

It had been another two hours before the damned event had ended; there had been a formal dinner, speeches, live bands…in fact, Kazuya was dragged up on stage to make an impromptu speech of his own. Hearing his own strong, deep voice over the loudspeakers was something he didn't particularly like, but he saw out of the corner of his eye a few of the fangirls making a fuss.

Presently, most of the guests had left, and there was little else of interest going on. Nina approached him again, and ran her cool fingers through his hair, scraping a few disobedient strands of raven hanging over his youthful face. 

"Let's get out of here, shall we?"

He glanced over at her, and nodded. He looked flustered, to say the least. "Yes, lets." As they headed off toward the entrance to the hotel, he felt compelled to add a jab or two. "Never liked formal occasions like that. Too much fuss over nothing."

Nina was glad she'd driven, since Kazuya didn't have a car of his own. After all, since he had wanted to lay low for the last two decades, he'd relied on public transport and his legs. It was a two-door Honda, silver in colour, equipped with a sunroof and a V6 engine…she'd become, over the last year of working in Tokyo, rather attached to it. Somehow, though, the car seemed so much better with the passenger she had sitting beside her tonight. There was more power in the engine, more energy in the steering wheel…and something magic about the air. She knew it was because of her close range to the object of her desire.

It was a quick drive back to their hotel, and in less than a quarter of an hour, the two were standing together in the lift once more, heading back to their rooms. As usual, it was a slow journey, and Nina very quickly found herself nuzzling her nose against his tie.

He snickered when he realised just how close she was – that is, when she actually made contact with him – and found himself smiling bashfully when she let out a soft moan against him.

The amazing scent of him was wafting up through her nostrils, and she could feel herself growing more and more desperate for him. Over the last week, she'd been teased by him so damn much that she didn't know how she could stay sane…she knew that she'd have to drag him to bed soon, or she'd die of curiosity. Or tonight, of desire. There was the definite masculine scent of a reasonably expensive cologne on his shirt which was driving her balmy. Along with that was his own scent – equally as masculine – and somehow, not nearly as sweaty as most men. Well, after all, he was dead theoretically…that was a good reason for the lack of sweat. Without that added stink, he just smelled…divine.

She moaned again, and her hand was, against her knowledge, feeling about madly against his chest in an effort to find something. Again he chuckled, then gently drew her closer by the waist, and kissed the top of her head lightly.

Finally, the lift doors opened on their floor. Kazuya was the first to notice, and almost had to literally drag Nina away from him and the lift. She clung to his arm possessively as they made their way to their rooms, not allowing him to move out of her sight.

Before he could escape her grasp again, she grabbed both his arms and pressed her lips against his. She didn't give him any room to react, either…she pressed him against the wall next to his room.

The two stood there for a few minutes, kissing tenderly. Nina's hands were roaming already, trying to feel that impressive muscle beneath his shirt and coat. His, on the other hand, stayed holding onto her upper arms gently, almost afraid to go further. This deliberate…teasing…of his, his damn innocence, was beginning to drive her crazy.

After a moment, he broke the kiss. 

"Why'd you do that?" She purred against his neck.

He petted her backside lightly, almost cautiously. "Because we've gotta come up for air sometime. Besides, isn't it time to pack up for the night?"

She smirked. "Says who?" Uh oh, she knew where this was heading.

"Says me." He smiled at her, and pressed her back gently. After a moment, he found his key card, and opened his door.

As he headed inside, this time, she decided to take control. Before he could shut the door, she slipped through it after him, and slammed it behind her, smirking.

He perked a brow at her, not quite sure what to make of the situation. She, on the other hand, placed both hands on his chest and pressed him backward until he ended up sitting on the end of the bed. Again, her lips met his…he tried to resist for a moment, but failed miserably after a few short seconds. Slender hands wandered down toward his stomach, and slowly undid the buttons of his coat, pulling it off as soon as it was undone. No sooner had that been done, her hands had immediately found his nipples through his dark shirt.

The result sent shivers through her entire body…a soft, deep moan escaped into her mouth from his. She smirked, and kissed him deeper as her hands explored the body she'd wanted to touch for ages now. Eventually, she felt his hands against her waist again…one of hers reached down and grabbed his wrist, dragging it up, until it rested against her breast. It took him seemingly forever to get the initiative to actually _grab_ at it a little…even then he was annoyingly timid. Obviously, to he3r dismay, he still wasn't ready to make the next step.

She wasn't ready to relent, however. After having several relationships in the past, she clearly didn't consider the Act to be such a big thing as he did, and she was happy, if the man was 'right', to dive in head-first, even before the starting gun was fired. Her hands wandered lower and lower, until eventually, she petted one of his thighs…only to find her hand grasping something _else_.

He moaned sharply, his hands suddenly grabbing a little more firmly – one was still on her backside, the other was against her chest at the time – but it took him almost no time at all to grab a hold of her wrist, and remove it from the offended organ.

"No, not yet…" He was a little breathless.

She scowled at him. "Why the hell not?"

His lips gently touched her naked shoulder, and his head nestled itself in the curve of her neck. "I dunno Nina, I'm just not ready to go that far yet."

A sigh escaped her lips, and she hugged his head. The more she got to know him, the more she realised she needed to learn of him. "Do you think you'll lose respect for me? Or are you just scared? Nervous?"

He thought about it for a few moments. "A bit of them all, really."

Poor innocent soul. Unlike everyone else she'd had a relationship with in the past, he had to be the only man that had respect for sex – and somehow, she found it admirable, and hauntingly sexy. Suddenly, she wanted him to be ready…her desire to force him into it dwindled.

She slipped away and stood before him. "Well, I suppose I can wait, if I must." She leaned down and kissed him again. He only responded slightly. Before she headed out the door, she turned back. "You know, Kazuya…whenever you're ready, I'll be waiting…" Smiling, she left the room and headed towards hers. After that, she knew she would have to entertain herself tonight.

After she'd left, Kazuya gave himself a few minutes to regain his composure. It was nearly eleven, and Jin wasn't back yet. He must've found someone to hang around with, or perhaps he'd gone to another venue for more partying. Though, he'd come to realise, Jin wasn't one for partying. The poor boy had inherited his father's preference to be alone and independent. 

As he began to get undressed, he noticed a little yellow post-it sitting on Jin's bedcovers. He reached down and picked it up, reading the quickly scrawled Katakana on it.

_Staying over at a friend's house tonight. See you tomorrow sometime, Otousan._

Yes, he should have known. Of course he was going to enjoy himself for one rare moment – after all, all young people needed a little action every now and again. Ah well, it wasn't any of his business anyway. Jin was his son, but he was a grown man now. He'd missed they boy's childhood, and there was nothing he could do about it. It seemed, though, that neither of them minded – at least they had each other.


	17. The Light

A/N: This is just a 'rough copy'…since this is a massive chapter, I will be editing it to make it more interesting. I just needed to get this out of my system.

***

It was well after twelve noon before Jin showed up again…when he did, he had an extra attachment. The young girl he'd met the night before, Miharu, was happily clinging to his arm about the elbow, dressed in a sloppy old t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans with holes in the knees. He was wearing a few clothes he'd grabbed from the hotel the night before – a grey singlet and a pair of baggy khakis. 

The two were chatting and giggling, sitting down by the waterfront when Nina passed by them. She'd thought it odd, after all, that the young Mishima hadn't showed up last night, since he was always in before Kazuya. But at any rate, it seemed the boy had more initiative than his father when it came to girls. Or he was just damn lucky. 

Nina approached the two, and sat down on Jin's free side. He didn't notice at first, since he was too busy nuzzling Miharu's shoulder. After a short cough, she caught his attention…he whipped around in surprise, then chuckled nervously when he saw who it was. 

She smirked deviously. "Glad to see you know how to enjoy yourself, Jin."

Miharu backed off a moment, blushing shyly. She'd never, after all, launched into a relationship quite so fast before. Jin scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Well…that's one way of putting it…"

Standing again, Nina grinned and ruffled Jin's hair playfully. "Ah, if only your father was like that…"

***  
  
Three days until the big fight. Three days left for training. Three days left of insanity and disorder.

Kazuya's accuracy was still as sharp as it had been twenty years ago, when he'd plunged to near death inside that dreaded volcano. The punching bag could confirm that without a second thought. His strength, however, out of the sunlight, was much improved…by at least twofold. Ah, the delights of the undead's power. Speed, to, was no longer an issue for him. Though in the past he'd been renowned as both a particularly swift and strong fighter – since most are one or the other – nowadays, he'd coined a new meaning for the word.

Dressed in a full Gi – the white pants, sleeved white shirt (currently hanging open), and his studded red foot guards and gloves – Kazuya was most definitely training seriously today; for the first time in what seemed like forever. One after the other, fists connected with the punching bag before the slender Mishima with a loud, resounding thump that echoed about the walls of the old dojo. Though the simple long-reached punches, one blow after the other in a slow, definite rhythm, seemed simple and effortless, the sheer force behind each fist was most definitely enough to break through solid objects. Every blow was accented by a sharp breath outward and the sound of air rushing away as the slender, muscular limbs broke through it at alarming pace.

At the dojo's door stood the owner. Though he was taller and more muscular than the man training inside, he still stood and watched in awe at the skilled warrior; before, he'd shown off a little with a few tough, powerful combos, and performed a few tricks that most could only dream were possible – particularly around the theme of flexibility. At the moment, however, it seemed the new face in the dojo was content with simple training for now.

It had been several days since the party after the finals. Though his drive and desire to fight, to train, to better his skills was strong, he couldn't overcome a growing hunger within him. The last time he'd fed was the day after the party, when Jin returned home again. He boy had literally forced him into it, as usual, since he refused to hurt anyone who didn't deserve it. And now, since it had been days since he last fed – and it is often difficult to go even a day without sustenance for a vampire – he was feeling the effects. He was sleepy, fatigued, and his vision was slowly becoming unreliable. His muscles refused to do as they were told, though he forced himself to strike accurately, swiftly and powerfully. Outwardly his performance was impressive, but inside, he knew he was forcing himself.

Relief came in the form of a young blonde woman, dressed in a turtleneck and black, figure-hugging trousers. He paused a moment to mop the sweat off his face, neck and chest, only to see Nina standing at the door, smirking at him.

He arched a brow, tossing the towel aside. "What brings you here?"

Nina made her way over to the panting warrior, and folded her arms over her chest. "How long have you been training now, Kazuya?"

He shrugged, and wrapped his arms around his stomach casually. "Three hours, I guess. Something like that."

Nina leaned down to pick the towel up, then wiped a little more of the glistening moisture off his half-bared chest. "Well, don't you think it's time to call it quits? It's after dinner now, and I'm bored…"

The dojo owner smirked as he guessed where that was leading. It was a pity he didn't understand the true nature of their relationship, since so far, it hadn't got as far as he thought. Kazuya rolled his dark eyes and smiled. Normally, he hated being interrupted while he was training. However, in Nina's case, he didn't seem to mind at all – much like he didn't mind being interrupted twenty-one years ago.

***  
  


It only took him a short time to pack up his gear, have a quick shower, and change into some less sweaty clothes, along with a quick chat to the dojo owner. He and Nina made the walk back to their hotel in the evening's cool air a quick one – they were back in no time, and Kazuya took a moment to sit down and let his head stop spinning once he'd ushered Nina back to her room. He had planned to stay up the rest of the evening, since he preferred the night to daytime's searing brightness, and finish some business; but he was feeling too out of it. 

After tossing his soggy Gi into the growing laundry pile in the corner, he collapsed back on his bed, and watched as the roof spun around and around before his very eyes. The entire room seemed to suddenly grow cold as ice, and his head started to imitate the roof; spinning around in circles. He knew the signs all too well; when he left the dreaded deed for more than three days, his body started to rebel. He never liked pushing himself further than this; the pain caused by a starving vampire's stomach would put even his agony in falling down the cliff at age five to shame.

It must have been longer than the few seconds he thought he'd been lying down. Nina, a hint of panic in her voice, was knocking loudly at the door after what seemed to be no time at all. He sat up, still dazed and groggy, and went to open the door for her. When he did so, he raised a brow; she looked sick with sorry.

"Kazuya! Why did you take so long to answer the door? Are you alright?" Yes, definitely panicked.

He blinked a few times, and supported his seemingly increasing weight on the door handle. "Uh…I'm fine…what's the matter?"

"I don't know, I'm not the one who won't answer when I'm being called!" She sighed in frustration, then clung to his chest in defeat. Silence ensued for a few more seconds, then she looked at him again, this time with a little more understanding. "You're cold again…you should have told me you needed…"

He cut her off with an annoyed sigh, and turned to walk back into his room. Every time they came to his conversation, it only made his self-hatred grow. "You know I hate doing that, Nina."

This time, she wasn't ready to indulge his little foibles about hurting her. She stalked towards him, grabbed the front of his shirt in two handfuls, and pressed him against the wall with surprising force. The murderous look in her eyes would have been enough to scare any red-blooded male out of his wits…and Kazuya was no exception. Two seconds of her glare was enough to erode his entire side of the argument, and he simply relented.

He sighed softly with what was left of the breath that was knocked out of him…she was certainly strong. The look in his eyes softened; as did hers, when she realised she'd finally gotten through to him. Closing her eyes, she tilted her neck to the side and pulled down the grey woollen fabric of the turtleneck. With her free hand, she gently but firmly grasped the back of his head, and pushed him down until his lips met her neck.

The warm flesh against his lips was, as usual, enticing beyond description. He couldn't resist her, not today, and only a moment after she'd forced him down, he sunk his canines deep into her neck, withdrew them, and let the warm, live-giving liquid pass by his lips, now clamped around the wounds, and down his throat. Her hand, as he drank, played with the thick raven hair behind his head; the other still held the collar out of the way.

One of his arms snaked around her slim waist, holding her lightly against his body. Unlike the first time she'd offered herself to him, he responded warmly, losing that stoic, coy resolve of his. The other reached around her back and grasped the opposite shoulder gently; she almost died and went to heaven in the embrace. The icy muscle of his that she was pressed against was slowly thawing out as time and her blood passed; and if it didn't warm him up enough, she knew _exactly how she might correct that problem shortly._

The hand that was previously wrapped around his neck slowly but surely slid downward until it was resting against his chest. Since she was shorter than him, and he was leaning quite a way down to reach her, she was able to easily play around without getting in the way. The pain in her neck was nothing to worry about; both of them had been injured to a much greater degree. In fact, in a strange way, she liked the pain. She liked him causing that numb, dull, sensuous pain. Slowly, lovingly, she dragged her nails down the flesh hidden beneath his shirt. It was obvious he liked it…a soft, voiceless moan escaped him, the hot breath being expelled through his nose, against her neck. She replied with a similar gesture. As she did, she felt his arms tighten their grip on her just slightly.

As he fed, her hand played a little lower, slowly venturing toward her ultimate goal – she figured that if she worked on him for long enough, he might just finally give into her wishes, and allow himself some long-awaited fun. She fumbled a moment his abdominal muscles, tracing the definite path they created, marvelling at their solid mass. It was at this point that Kazuya decided he'd had enough, and drew back from her neck. The wounds closed up on their own accord – once again, one of his newly discovered talents. 

Nina's hand still roamed her newly claimed territory. He was hers, undeniably. And his superior size didn't bother her one bit; since when did size ever bother her? Though she felt a little light-headed after the experience, she was possibly as satisfied as he was – but since her body was still demanding more attention, it was an arguable topic for discussion. As she looked back up at him, she found those deep ebony eyes staring down into hers, with a look almost of defeat within them, almost as if begging for forgiveness. Such a look in a supposed icy, stoic, heartless warrior's face pained her; she melted in his eyes, wishing she could make all the pain go away. She didn't want him to feel guilty for trying to stay alive.

Again, her hand gained a mind of its own, and started to fiddle with his belt buckle. The other grasped his hair again, and she leaned up on her tip-toes to kiss him. Of course he didn't refuse, and tilted his head to the side, closing his eyes, as he accepted her gesture. The high-pitched clinking of the belt being undone made him jump slightly…but she didn't stop. Both hands now reached up to undo each button on his shirt, one after another, until his chest and stomach were exposed to the cool air in the room. She brushed aside the shirt, letting it drop to the floor behind him, and began to lovingly run her hands over the warmed, solid flesh on his chest…carelessly tracing over the scar, the lines on his chest, letting her desperation get the best of her. After a little longer, she could no longer stand the suspense, the non-response from Kazuya. She grabbed his shoulders, turned him around, and thrust him at the bed.

Slightly surprised at the abrupt uprooting, he tumbled backward and landed face-up on the bed. Nina followed him immediately, of course, climbing up on the bed, her knees straddling his waist, resting against the woollen hotel blankets. Without hesitation, she resumed toying with him, her hands exploring his smooth, hot chest and stomach, her mouth capturing his once again. The new blood coursing through his system was only adding to the gradual build-up of desire within his body and soul; it had been so long, and no man could stand, after all those years, being tempted and teased to such a point and actually get out of it with his trousers still on. Finally, after all previous attempts to politely refuse her offers, he simply gave in for now, and returned her kiss passionately.

Eventually, she could feel his muscular arms lock around her waist, holding her against him. Only breaking her near frenzied kiss for a moment, she sat up on him, pulled off her turtleneck, and cast it down onto the floor.

She was about to continue assaulting his mouth, but she noticed he was staring wide-eyed at her. Well, so he should be. She had been wearing nothing but a push-up bra beneath the turtleneck the whole time; it happened to be violet and lacy…extremely sexy…especially on her ample bust. After a moment he blushed, since he realised he was gawking like a fool, and tried to take his eyes off her…but failed. Again she leaned down and pressed her lips against his, but she managed to find one of his hands, and place it against one of her breasts. Since his hands had long, slender fingers, she found it surprising that he could barely grasp the whole thing in one hand. Whoever had her in the cryogenics must have made them bigger or something; either that, or she never realised how well-endowed she was in the past.

Kazuya's free hand eventually slipped lower and lower down her back, until he was cautiously running it over a cheek. He wasn't quite sure if he was allowed to go that far…but what the hey, it was worth a try. Nina's hands too were roaming, and while one had slipped under the small of his back and began to explore lower, the other stayed on his chest. She'd finally decided to stop playing, and start teasing him. Her fingers found a nipple, and quickly began gently squeezing it, twisting it, even running a nail or two over it. No sooner had she started doing that, he moaned into her mouth, his upper body rising up off the bed, trying to press against her hand. 

After witnessing that particular reaction, she decided to occupy both hands with that job, toying with a nipple in each. For now, he collapsed back on the bed, and let her do as she pleased. It was so delightful; he might as well let her go for it. After all those years, he'd almost forgotten what it was like when someone found something he liked. As he watched her, he couldn't resist reaching up to play with her again through her bra…it just looked too good to waste.

She let him do that for a little while before leaning down and nipping one of his earlobes between her teeth. Naturally, she didn't realise that was one of his _favourite things for someone to do, so she didn't appreciate how much effort he put into restraining a loud moan. As his grip on her closed for a short moment, she whispered in his ear for him to just take the damn bra off…it was always more fun that way. He looked unsure for just a second…but complied in the next. A few seconds after that, the lacy, purple garment joined her turtleneck on the floor. _

Again, his hands began to explore her chest; this time, it was bare skin, to his delight. One hand remained on her chest; the other looped around her waist and dragged her down again, holding her close to the warmth of his body. It seemed like only too soon after he'd gotten used to the situation that she writhed out of his grip and sat on his abdomen, staring down at him curiously.

He arched a brow at the interruption. She simply smirked at him. "Okay you…go put your head down on the pillow and get comfy. I'm gonna have some fun with that sex-god body of yours."

He complied, and moved himself up the bed until he could lie back on the pillow. He even put his arms behind his head for her, letting her know he was ready for whatever she had planned. Nina, not being patient in nature – not including her career requirements – dived straight in. She held his hips down with both hands, and placed her lips over one of his dark nipples. As he released a soft breath of pleasure, she ran her tongue over it, flicking it around, pressing against it, toying to her heart's content. She could feel the vibrations of his deep voice against her lips as he moaned; yes, teeth worked too.

One hand reached up to pleasure the other lonely side of his chest as her mouth satisfied the first. His hands, unable to stay unoccupied, managed to become buried within the golden locks of her hair, not intentionally holding her in place, but he most definitely didn't want her to stop doing what she was doing…unless she was going to do something better.

Indeed, that was what she intended to do. Her lips moved from the side of his chest, slowly, whilst laying down tender kisses and licks against his warm, smooth skin, to the centre; there, she traced the crevice created between the two compact pectoral muscles with the pointed tip of her tongue – slowly, lightly, torturously. His back arched, forcing his chest up against her. Since she moved with him, the effort was pointless; the added frustration and delight forced a ragged, breathless moan from his throat. 

Every hair on her body stood on end as he let out that deliciously deep moan. As a reward, she left her right hand where it was; still playing with his nipple. Her lips moved downward, tracing the path that went directly down the centre of his body. She was getting impatient, and he probably was too. Needless to say, she took time and care exploring each one of the lines, curves and crevices between his muscles, but her mind was on other things.

She arrived at the belt that she'd previously unbuckled. Beneath it she could feel the hardened flesh, begging to be released from the confines of the dark slacks. Without a second thought, she stood up and pulled his trousers, along with his boxers, right off, and dumped them on the floor. For just a tiny, tiny moment, she was afraid to look up, lest she become disappointed…but when she did pause to admire her prize, she couldn't help but smirk. He was even bigger than she had imagined! And to think her imagination was always generous with men she liked _a lot. _

A slight blush crept across the tops of his cheeks when he caught her staring, but he smirked back at her. She did look pleased. He could honestly say that he didn't know why she found it so surprising; as a teenager, he was never bored enough to measure it, and he wasn't the kind of guy to compare sizes for the hell of it. Needless to say, he was quite used to it, and saw nothing special about it…but it pleased him that Nina did.

"My, you _are a big boy…" She paused again to take a good look as she took her own trousers and underwear off._

He smiled shyly and chuckled, still lying back on the bed, letting her do as she pleased. "'Big' is in the eye of the beholder…I guess…"

She climbed back on the bed again, and knelt between his legs. Now, she was going to have some real fun.

Since she'd been so forward previously, he wasn't expecting what came next. Instead of diving straight in, she reached out and pulled lightly on the thin trail of hair that started halfway between his belly-button and his 'equipment'. What seemed like a simple gesture really made him flinch…and as an involuntary reaction, one knee raised beside her, and a soft whimper escaped his parted lips. For a while that seemed to be all that amused her…Kazuya could feel himself tingling with the desire for more…and she seemed to completely ignore it!

After finding a little amusement in tugging at his 'love trail' – something she loved to do, and since he had very little hair there, and almost none elsewhere, she _had to find some original entertainment, didn't she? – She lightly scraped her fingernails downward…_

…and diverted them so they slid over his hip rather than on a direct downward tangent. Again, his knee rose against her with this blissful torture, and his fingers gripped the bedcovers. She glanced down at his leg, then grasped it beneath the knee with one hand. A moment later, she leaned down, and placed a kiss against his inner thigh. The rock-hard muscles beneath the skin contracted sharply, and goose-bumps appeared on the skin beneath her lips. She kissed him again…and again…each kiss getting further and further away from his knee, and closer and closer to something that was begging for attention…

…only to pause only an inch away from there…she returned to pulling at those little hairs just below his belly-button again. With his anticipation thrown out the window, Kazuya let out a frustrated groan, unable to stop his hips from jerking up towards her just once. She let out a low chuckle against his skin, and nuzzled his thigh. Her other hand scraped its nails down his other hip, forcing a whimper from his throat.

Finally, he could take no more. His complaint came out more as a near-animalistic growl, though softened with the tone of a beg for mercy. "Nina…please…" 

Her heart throbbed against her ribs with excitement. He – Kazuya Mishima, _THE Kazuya Mishima – was begging for her. HER of all people. Suddenly, she couldn't resist him any longer. He became, out of nowhere, before her very eyes, the sexiest creature in the world._

However, she couldn't give up that easily. She hardened her resolve, and returned his begging with a Nina Williams sadistic smirk…and a little gift.

"I know what you want, Kazuya Mishima…" She leaned down, still smirking at him playfully…and ran the tip of her tongue over tip of the organ so far being tortured by neglect. The musky scent and salty taste filled her senses; and when he gasped in sheer delight, her brain almost exploded. She couldn't resist taking more of him into her mouth…and did just that. Once again, his fingers became one with her golden tendrils of hair, not quite forcing her down, but not willing to let her go now that she'd finally hit the spot.

Finally, her desire was being fulfilled. For so long now, she'd wanted to touch him, feel him, taste him. And now, finally, he'd allowed her that pleasure, that honour. He was a sex god, there was no doubting that; and mere mortals rarely were granted the rights to such a divine experience. Her tongue slowly ran up and down the small ridge she found there, unable to get enough of his delicious salty taste. Her hand automatically drifted downward, gripping the warm shaft, squeezing it gently. Her mind and body didn't seem to wait to do the same thing…she wanted to continue being calm, controlled…to continue teasing him…but her body wanted to make him scream in ecstasy…the sooner the better.

After a moment she felt him pushing down on her again, almost to the point of forcing her head down. Clearly he was starting to get a little more desperate. However, she didn't wish to choke to death on him, so she pulled up off him, and sat up. Before he could protest, she leaned forward so she was lying on top of him, staring directly down into his ebony eyes. He was breathing heavily by this point, his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were literally begging for oh so much more.

She grinned. "So…are you going to run away again, Mr Mishima?"

He chuckled against her cheek, and leaned up to kiss it lightly. "It's too late for that, Ms Williams." His voice was a little huskier than usual…but it just made him so much sexier. 

Her lips brushed against a smooth cheek, and formed a smile. "Then I suppose this could become fun…"

As soon as she finished saying that, she lowered herself slightly, so he was pressing against her entrance. She felt his arms lock around her waist, and she pressed herself down again…this time, she felt him slip inside her. With this new sensation, both of them let out a small, breathy moan at the same time. Realising how silly it sounded, Kazuya couldn't help but chuckle…Nina did the same a moment after. Her impatience got the better of her again, and she moved downward again, gradually accepting more and more of him within, until eventually, he was completely buried within her warmth.

After a moment he found himself wondering why he resisted in the first place. Had he forgotten how incredible it felt? It seemed he had. His arms wrapped around her waist again, though not tight enough to restrict her movement as she created a slow, definite rhythm. Just as he was about to lean up and kiss her once more, she seemed to have the same thought exactly, and leaned down to capture his lips. 

Nina wasn't ready to give in to her desires yet; though she wanted to go hard-core and blow both of their brains out right there, right now…she kept her slow, steady pace, no matter how much he writhed beneath her. At one point, he even arched his hips up fiercely against her, lifting her up with him – but he was making a conscious effort not to force her, it seemed. He wasn't the forceful type. 

Though, of course, there was a limit to everyone's sanity. Kazuya growled in her ear. "Nina…stop teasing me!"

She grinned down at him, and licked the tip of his nose playfully. "Make me." Whether that was an invitation or a threat, she couldn't decide…but he took it as the former. With his arms still around her waist, he easily exchanged positions with her in one graceful move. He kissed her wildly for a moment, then buried his face into the curve of her neck, and began moving at a much more tolerable speed. Nina's back arched, and she moaned loudly in his ear. For some reason, even though she loved to dominate the situation normally, it just suited him so much more to be on top. Her arms and legs locked themselves around his neck and waist.

Through sheer instinct, Kazuya felt the need to nip at the skin on her neck…and did just that. She whimpered, and tilted her head to the side. He took that as an offer, and kept on doing it. In the meantime, one of his arms slipped under her waist, and the other reached up to brush a few errant strands of hair from her flushed face.

After a moment, she grabbed his head and forced it down. "Bite." She demanded, and locked their hips together with her ankles.

He arched a brow. "Nani?"

"Bite."

"But I already…"

"Not like that! Bite!" 

He complied, and nipped at the soft, pale flesh on her shoulder with his front teeth. When she moaned and held him down, he bit a little harder. She gasped, and her hips jolted up to meet his again. Of course, this whole new idea was becoming a distraction, and he decided to leave it for now…he could bite her later, as farcical as it seemed. Instead, he resumed what he was doing earlier…and picked up the pace a little.

After a few more moments of bliss, Nina reached up and placed her hands on his cheeks, pulled him down, and caught his lips in her own. She still hadn't managed to get over how soft and warm they were. So sexy. 

Kazuya soon began to feel that building desperation, that building climax deep within him. It had lasted a while so far, so he wasn't surprised when he felt the need to move faster within her…besides, she wasn't complaining.

On the contrary – she was willing him on. She too could feel the end coming. By now, almost every movement forced a whimper from her lips, and she was holding him so tight she feared she might strangle him…but that didn't matter now. He let out a sharp breath against her neck and tightened his grip around her waist, as she finally reached her climax. Her body pressed up against his, and her head fell back against the pillow as she screamed in ecstasy…her nails dug into the back of his neck inadvertently in her delight, and the whole world went black.

Just witnessing her doing that pushed him over the edge too; her tightening around him, and just looking so wonderful beneath him to begin with. He finally lost control too, and released all that built-up desire, the lust, deep within her. It brought with it a deep, restrained moan from him against her neck, and he held her tight with both arms.

For a while, they just lay there, held firmly in each other's grasp, breathing heavily.

Finally, Nina smirked. "There now. What was all that fuss about a few days ago? That wasn't so hard."

He chuckled, and slid down off her to lie close by her side on the small bed. "Fuss? What fuss?"

Her eyes rolled, and she ruffled his thick, already messed-up hair. "Refusing to do that. Have you forgotten how long it took me to finally get you undressed?" She grinned cheekily. "Maybe it's because Kazuya Mishima was scared he wasn't big enough…"

His eyebrows shot up, and he gave her a look of mild disbelief. "Where the heck did that come from?"

After a moment she pushed him over so he was lying on his back, then she used his chest as a conveniently placed, self-warming pillow. "I don't know."

By now he'd realised she was almost spot-on with one of the reasons he'd refused her until now. The reminder sobered him a little. "Actually, you're not too far off." She raised a brow. "I'd heard some pretty worrying stories in the past about the nature of the undead. Thankfully it turned out they were only rumours and urban legends…but most of them circulated around the supposed fact that vampires are sterile…"

He didn't need to say any more, really. He was worried that he couldn't 'function', thanks to his nature. Definitely a legitimate fear. Nina leaned up, and smirked at him. "Well, I must say I'm glad they weren't factual stories…" She leaned down and licked at his lips playfully, before giving him a kiss. 

He returned the gesture, and chuckled. "So am I."

With a contented sigh, Nina dropped back down onto his chest. After a moment of fidgeting, Kazuya managed to pull the sheet from under him, and draped it over the top of them. "So, I guess you'll be sleeping here tonight."

She yawned, and snuggled up against his warm, solid chest. "Guess I will be."


	18. Memoirs Of A Past Unexperienced

A/N: I'm so retarded -.-; I've had this sitting in my freaking file for months. Did I upload it? No. Blargy. Well here it is folks. Since I've already written two chapters tonight of another story, I'm at odds whether I'll push myself to write any more...I might, since I'm on a long break during exam week (done all mine in the first three days) and I have all the time in the world...and I'm *STILL* sugar-high.

Enjoy this short sweet chappie!

***

Nina yawned, stretched, and found herself face-to-face with Kazuya's chest. Not that she minded, that is…in fact, she couldn't resist leaning a little closer and licking at it with the tip of her tongue.

He didn't wake up; he simply rolled over, taking the covers with him. She squealed softly as the cold air hit her bare skin…and decided to get up out of bed. After a quick glance at the bedside clock, she smirked…only six in the morning. Time for some nice warm sunshine.

She hopped up out of the bed and strolled over to the curtains. On the way, she noticed that Jin had bravely returned to the hotel room for the evening. They must've been asleep when he returned. He'd just woken up too; and found himself staring at a very naked Nina. Damn…his Dad was a very, very lucky man!

She posed for a moment in a rather sexy, suggestive way, smirked, then reached out for the curtain. Jin only realised what she was doing all too late.

He threw his hands into the air. "Whoa whoa, you don't want to do that…"

She'd already drawn the curtains by the time he spoke up. She was going to retaliate, when they were both distracted by a disgruntled yell and a loud thud. They both looked over toward Kazuya…who was sitting on the other side of the bed, on the floor, with the blankets over him from head to toe. Jin motioned with his hand to close them again, then rolled over and snuggled up under the covers again. 

Blushing slightly, Nina pulled the curtains shut again, then wandered over to Kazuya…of course, giving any onlooker a good show of her large chest on the way as she artfully stepped over, around and through the gathering piles of miscellaneous 'things' on the floor. She knelt down in front of the mound of blankets that had placed itself so gracefully on the floor, and smirked.

"Are you going to come out of there today?"

"Have you shut the fuckin' curtain yet?" His voice was muffled by the thick woollen layer.

Jin and Nina both snickered. "Yes, I did…" She was beginning to get a little impatient. Rather than wait, she simply dragged the covers off him.

He didn't resist the thick woollen layer being snatched from him – in fact, he simply sat and pouted slightly. He doubted it'd work, especially with Nina, but he remembered, for some pointless reason, the very same technique working on his mother when he was a young boy. And indeed, the assassin had only to take one look, and found herself unable to resist grabbing and hugging the poor sad-looking creature. So innocent! With a loud 'awe', she lurched forward and grabbed Kazuya's head, shoving his face between her breasts in an effort to wipe the childlike pout off his face – whether it be by making him smile or smothering him into submission.

After a few seconds… "Uh…Nina…I can't breathe…"

She smirked at the stifled voice from below. Jin was trying not to pay attention to the scene, but found it awfully difficult considering the nature of the ordeal.

"Hey uh…you two…you do know it mentally scars children for a long time if they see a parent or two going at it, right?" Jin smiled just a little, waiting for what interesting reply may come from either party.

Nina blushed heavily and released Kazuya; he too took on an evident shade of crimson across his cheeks. He smiled at his son timidly and fished around for his underwear with one hand…he could have sworn he tossed everything on the floor last night when they…yeah. 

Since Kazuya had started the search for clothing, Nina decided she ought to join in…and looked about for her bra and panties. They were underneath all of Kazuya's clothing, no surprise. Chuckling, she leaned forward over him and reached out to grab her precious underwear…and succeeded in crashing headlong into him, since he was trying to do the very same. This resulted in a giggle from the both of them…and Jin rolling his eyes and flopping back on his bed, staring at the ceiling in disbelief. He'd never imagined Kazuya as the kind to goof off or lose his cool with a woman. Oh yeah…then again…he did see the both of them together in bed last night, starkers, and fast asleep.

Eventually the two got their act together, and after a quick but overly passionate make-out session, Nina left the room to have a shower in her own quarters. Kazuya, dressed at this point, sat down on the end of the bed, his feathers still lightly ruffled from this morning's goings-on. 

Still staring blankly at the roof, Jin grinned. "I'm glad you've learned how to have some fun…"

As if he wasn't already red enough in the face, Kazuya's normally rather pale features lit up pink again, unable to resist smiling bashfully once more. "Well…you could say that…I'm sorry -"

Jin cut him off. "Don't bother, it's alright." He grinned to himself, pausing a moment to contemplate continuing. After a few seconds, he spoke up again. "After all, I do need something to blackmail you with in case you go ape about me and Miharu being together and all…"

Ape? Him? Over his son being a grown man? Not a chance. He chuckled. "Why would I do that? You're nearly 21 now Jin, it's not like I can justify getting angry or anything. Besides, you need a girlfriend…"

He arched a brow. "Should that be a compliment or an insult?"

Kazuya shrugged and reached down to pull on his socks and shoes. "Well, since you spent all that time _staring_ at Nina's ass a few weeks back…"

"Dad!" Jin laughed and threw the nearest object at Kazuya's head – it so happened to be his pillow. He ducked but ended up getting hit with it anyhow. When he looked back at Jin, he did so with one hell of a rare look – a wide, playful grin…indeed, if he didn't have those long, dangerous-looking canines, he'd have what his mother would have deemed 'a very beautiful smile'.

While he continued to fiddle with his shoes, Kazuya couldn't help but comment on the morning's adventure. "It seems strange...though we've only known each other for not even a month yet, we act like we've known each other since you were born…" He smiled as he said this. It made him proud to be able to say he knew his own son, his only son. 

Jin's smile grew too, and he finally shifted his eyes to meet his father's. "If only the latter had've been true…but since it can't be helped, I'm honoured to have met you at all…"

Kazuya paused a moment when that one word let slip. Since he'd finished tying his laces, he sat back up again, and glanced across at Jin in curiosity after a second or so. "Honoured? Is that the right word?"

The younger Mishima smiled and shrugged, then finally sat up, still under the covers from the waist down. "Well, yeah. You're the damn best fighter I know…and well…wow, I don't even know how to describe it…you're amazing, Y'know? Grandpa always tried to make me believe you were an evil, self-serving little bastard. That's why I wasn't as polite as I should have been when we met and such." He chuckled since Kazuya was clearly becoming very shy with the sudden rush of compliments. "But really…you're a better father than I'd ever imagined you to be. And I'm honoured to be your son…"

Kazuya, at this point, honestly didn't know what to say. He simply resorted to staring slightly downward, unable to wipe the smile off his face. That had to be one of the largest gushes of favourable compliments that he'd ever heard directed at himself…other than those from Jun. What are families for, ne?

A moment of thought and silence ensued before Kazuya spoke again. When he did, his words came out softer and quieter than he'd anticipated, but it made no difference in reality. "You know…after hearing about you, I wasn't expecting you to be quite as amazing as you are. Your mother raised you well. I'm glad you're my son…" His smile returned, but he didn't intend to hang around and let everything go all mushy. He reached down and grabbed his leather coat. "But before we go all gushy and into American Soap-opera mode…I'd better get going. I have a little work to do today…"

He turned and headed for the door. Jin, of course, felt the need to interrupt. "You do realise it's summer out there…"

Kazuya smirked and nodded. "Yeah…but I'm wearing the coat so I don't burn. Remember?"

"You wore those clothes yesterday…"

At this point, Kazuya turned around to actually look at Jin. "Yeah, well since I don't sweat and reek like a human since I'm _dead_, there's no real reason for me to create pointless washing…"

"But you…"

Kazuya interrupted with a grin. "Hey, are you my mother or my son?!"

Jin bit his lip and smiled. Well, he _did_ sound like Jun…inadvertently. He kept his mouth shut and waved him off, curling back up into bed.

Grinning, Kazuya gave him a silent wave goodbye and headed out for the day. The both of them were very alike in one particular way; whilst long overloads of verbal compliments made both uneasy, both also seemed to understand each other better with a calm silence – part of Kazuya's personality which had been passed on to Jin. 

Since it was still early, and there was nothing better to do, Jin rolled over onto his side, and went back to sleep for another few hours.


	19. Take All The Shame To The Grave

A/N: Finally sat my ass down and WROTE for a change, and hey presto. I've had a few urges to resurrect old stories lately, so I'll do that sooner or later...including my old comedy, Beach Day. For now though, the final showdown has arrived here! And no, I'm not ending this story as soon as I did with Jakunen Mirai; I haven't resolved it yet =D

~  
_If I could change, I would_

_Take back the pain I would_

_Retrace every wrong move that I made I would_

_If I could stand up and take the blame I would_

_If I could take all the shame to the grave I would_

_If I could change I would_

_Take back the pain I would_

_Retrace every wrong move that I made I would_

_If I could stand up and take the blame I would_

_I would take all the shame to the grave._

~

            -Linkin Park, _Easier To Run, Meteora album (inspired a lot of this chapter's emotions, though not as much as the most recent chapter of Déjà Vu. Thank you Mike Shinoda!)_

***

Finally, the day of the big tournament had arrived. It was the final battle between the two Mishima titans...in fact, because of the crowd that had bought tickets, the venue had to be shifted from the Mishima arena to the local grand stadium, where over 100,000 had been seated. The noise already was phenomenal, and the crowd was simply chattering and babbling amongst themselves.

Below the arena, Kazuya was pacing back and forth anxiously, fiddling with the leather straps on his red and silver cut-off gloves. Jin and Nina, and a choice other few, were sitting in the locker room, watching him pace. He was actually dressed in a full Gi again; long white sleeves with the pants and shirt held against him with the black belt around his waist. 

Finally Nina couldn't take watching him wear a track into the ground any longer, and marched right up to him, grasped him by the shoulders, and sighed. "Kazuya...just calm down, honey. You know you'll win, there's no way that old fart could win."

He sighed too, and stood where he was stopped, letting his head drop back. "I know I'll win, leave me alone."

After being shaken off, Nina found herself standing like an idiot, watching him going back to pacing. Again, she stepped in front of him. "Kazuya, look...I don't need to be a telepath to know something's bothering you, okay? You might as well just tell me, because you don't want it to bother you while you're fighting!"

He gave her a deadly glare, then folded his arms over his chest. "There's a lot on my mind, Nina. Little things adding up together to make me feel just a little uneasy about the whole situation."

She led him down to the seat they were all sitting on, and pulled him down. Surprisingly, he complied. "Anything we can help you with?"

He shook his head, and leaned back against the wall. "No, not really. For a start, there's the entire freaking stadium _and_ the worldwide television audience...as much as I don't mind crowds, as much as I don't mind being watched...I would have liked to finished off the old man in private. In the family dojo perhaps. That, and after all these years, is killing him off really going to help us? Will he get what he deserves in death? I can say for one that living is often a greater punishment."

After a moment Nina rested her head against his shoulder, and put her hand against the icy skin on his partially bared chest. When the temperature of his body hit her, she flinched and pulled back, scowling. "Well no wonder you're as nervous as a guppy in a piranha pool! You haven't fed since we last..." she trailed off. Announcing their sex life to the entire audience in the small locker room wasn't such a good idea.

He shook her off again, and wrapped his arms around his stomach. "Nina, will you stop..."

She cut him off by forcing his face against her neck. "Listen buddy. This time you're going to take more than your fill to give you energy for the fight! I don't care if it knocks me clean off my feet, DO IT!"

Kazuya pulled his lips away from her neck a moment. "You do realise that 'my fill' would leave three people dead, right?"

The thought of that sent her blood running cold momentarily. How much can one vampire consume? Ignoring the deadly fact, she pressed him against her neck again. "Then take as much as you need. I'm sure Jin will be happy to donate as well..."

The boy nodded. "Of course. Any time."

He knew they were right, and decided it best not to defy them this time. Without any further disruptions, he sunk his teeth into Nina's throat, quickly drinking down the hot liquid that came to his lips. At the same time, one of his arms looped around her waist, holding her close, the other hand grasping the other side of her neck gently. The bizarre embrace received a few funny looks from the others in the room, but he ignored them. This time, he took a lot more than usual...enough to leave Nina very, very uneasy on her feet. He did finally break away, letting the wounds heal over, and righted her against the wall.

Feeling rather dazed and as if she was floating on a fluffy cloud, Nina chuckled heavily. "Woo...I don't even need to get drunk to get drunk!" Jin smirked somewhat, and pulled his hooded jacket off to expose his neck. 

"Better take it while the offer's hot, Otousan."

Kazuya didn't rebel, and simply turned to face his son, before doing to Jin what he did to Nina a moment before. One after another in this fashion, he could taste the distinct difference. Jin's blood, somehow, was tastier. He could've sworn it was because of that demonic inheritance of his; that, and his close relation to the sweet and innocent Jun Kazama. At any rate, it was a good thing Jin was twice Nina's size, because Kazuya found it difficult to tear himself away eventually. He did, but it left Jin feeling distinctly faint. He wavered a moment, then shook his head about, pulling his jacket back on.

Both of the 'vampire victims' watched their attacker as he wiped his lips on the back of his arm, and adjusted his gloves somewhat. Somehow he wasn't as pale as normal, though, he wasn't a 'normal' colour for a Japanese by any means...he still looked like he could use a good tan. There was almost a glow about him too...like he was radiating energy and power. He almost looked like he was alive.

After a moment of silence, he stood back up again and started stretching out his arms. "That feels so much better...you two are great."

Jin smirked and stood too, looking down at his watch. "Because we're tasty. Anyhow, the fight starts in five...better get yourself ready."

As Jin scraped Nina to her feet and held her up – since she'd flopped limply against him – Kazuya got ready to go upstairs to the gates; final preparations included microphones and the like being attached to him, along with a run-through of the rules, which he wasn't looking forward to. That would take up most of the five minutes. Before he left however, he turned, bent down, and gave Nina one hell of a passionate kiss...she didn't hesitate to return it.

*  
  
Upstairs, things were getting hectic. The microphone dude – Kazuya didn't know what else to call him – was getting bitchy about his clothes, because there was nowhere to put the microphones. Bitchy was the right word too...he put Britney Spears' tantrums to shame.

"I don't care; you should have better taste in clothes!" He stamped his foot, balled both fists, and huffed several times in front of the tall, slender Mishima. "There's nowhere to put the microphones, and we have to put them on NOW!"

Kazuya rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly. "Look, why do we need the stupid things on this time anyhow? And why don't you put one on my belt like you did last time?"

There was a momentary pause in movement. Great, the tough-as-nuts warrior just provoked the Bitch.

"I DON'T _CARE WHAT YOU THINK!"_

Even Kazuya was blown away by that, and ended up sitting on his backside before the petite French-looking man. After a moment he did stand back up though, and grabbed the man by the collar. "Listen you, either you put the mike where you can, or I'll put my fist up your nose! I've had enough of your bitching!"

The man let a whimper escape his throat, and as Kazuya let him drop, he scrambled away. A moment later, he regained his composure and coughed, getting to his feet. "Ahem...you two, uh...put the microphones on his belt! Two more minutes to go...chop chop!" Before long, he was ornamented with a mike on either side of his waist...they would catch all his speech and the sounds of hits; rather important in a fight like he was about to engage in, considering the sheer size of the crowd out there.

Finally they were ready, and the announcements were being made as to the next contestants...the crowd out there went wild with enthusiasm as the announcer riled them up. As his name was called, rather dramatically of course, Kazuya stepped into the stadium, heading toward the centre of the playing field; that would be the fight arena.

As he did, he was immediately deafened by the rising screams from the audience...as he looked around, he saw massive numbers of people; the stadium was packed! There were numerous banners being waved about, most of which had something to do with him. He couldn't believe it; he was the fighter most people were cheering for!

After a short look around, he spotted Jin and Nina sitting in the front row to his left. Of course, both were waving wildly and cheering along with the thousands upon thousands of fellow spectators surrounding them, despite their apparent lack of energy from the blood loss. Smiling faintly, he returned the wave, causing an even louder uproar from the crowd, if it were possible.

The announcer, short moments after Kazuya reached the centre of the 'arena', called Heihachi out from the opposite side of the stadium. He was dressed in wooden sandals and nothing else but a white Mawashi...not a pleasant sight on a man of seventy-five years. Kazuya groaned inwardly...he wasn't only embarrassing himself in that attire, but everyone else in his family along with him...including Jin, who'd slapped his forehead with one hand at the sight and was shaking his head in despair.

The crowd's cheering dropped back slightly as the elderly warrior entered the arena; after all, he didn't quite have the same number of supporters in the arena. He was known for being cruel and cold, and his days were nearly over, or so most of the crowd had judged. His opponent, on the other hand, was relatively unknown; most didn't know him from the first and second Iron Fist tournaments, and to add to it, he was young and handsome...a more popular choice for the women in the audience...and a few men.

Speaking of which, an admirer was in the audience, sitting high in one of the expensive private boxes above the stadium. Lee Chaolan had always secretly admired his brother's physical prowess, mental endurance, and all-over cold exterior toward what would usually rile the younger silver-haired man into extreme violence, or at least a heated response. Kazuya, in short, was everything Lee wanted to be, but he didn't resent him for it, he held him in the highest respects. For a start, that was the single reason he continued at the Zaibatsu after Heihachi was expelled for the first time. That was also the reason he'd paid a fortune for one of the best seats in the house to watch this final battle. 

However, neither Kazuya nor Heihachi were aware of their foster family member's presence; they were aware of only each other – no one else registered. Not the crowd, not the deafening noise of human cries and cheers, not the announcer babbling endlessly in the background...only their hatred for the other; that hatred would soon be fulfilled, indulged, and ended. There would only be one survivor of this match.

Both regarded each other in an equally steely scowl, unmoving in the warm air hanging about them. From a distance, the announcer stood, watching the pair. A moment passed, and he finally announced the beginning of the battle. 

"Final round: no tag battle, no time limit, no desperation attacks permitted. Ready? Fight!"

Of course, with no time limit, there was no need to leap right into things. His Gi-clad arms held high in front of his chest, Kazuya began to slowly circle around the old man, searching for an opening. As usual, however, Heihachi's guard was flawless, and he would, as per usual, prove a deadly opponent. This wouldn't be a pushover, no matter how much extra speed and strength he was provided with as a vampire. The old man defeated Fury and Combot – both weren't human. There was no guarantee that supernatural abilities affirmed success.

Heihachi joined him in circling, searching for an opening in the same manner. For at least a quarter of a minute this continued; a painfully long time in terms of a fight – striding back and forth, sliding one foot behind the other, then turning the other way, and back again. Finally, Heihachi smirked and snorted with laughter.

"You're taking this nice and slowly aren't you, baka?"

Kazuya smirked right back. "I'm only trying to keep myself from catching a view of those flabby ass-cheeks of yours."

That earned him an infuriated makeshift right hook from the old man's bound fist. The anger in the attack made it predictable nevertheless, despite the speed and power, and Kazuya sidestepped the attack, grabbed the incoming arm with his right hand, and performed one of his trademark throws; his right leg swung high over Heihachi's head, then came crashing down again, throwing him sideways and face-first into the concrete. As the crowd went wild with excitement, he hopped back and stood guard. Funny how no one seemed to predict he'd ever use Bitch-kicks to start off in a fight.

Spitting a little blood, Heihachi scraped himself off the ground, obviously a little more than annoyed already. As he stood, Kazuya stepped toward him, ready to throw a long-range punch with his right, but was intercepted and thrown back by both of his father's fists flying at him, palms open and held together vertically. Sparks literally flew between the two as Kazuya was thrown back, hitting the ground with the back of his shoulders. 

The impact wasn't enough to keep him down for long, however, and he simply flipped back up onto his feet from that position, as ungainly as it was. He too wasn't impressed with the sudden violent attacks, but he wouldn't fall for the trick of a hasty attack, like Heihachi had earlier. As the old man dashed toward him again, he countered the attack by ducking low, and swinging his right leg about beneath him, letting his body complete two revolutions on that pivot point; his left foot. Slow and awkward, but effective; Heihachi was caught by the swinging leg, tripping over it, and landed flat on his bared backside on the hot concrete.

The sheer heat of the ground was enough to get the older Mishima up rather hastily, though he didn't drop his guard to nurse his assaulted rear. He let it steam as much as it wanted as Kazuya flew toward him...with an attack he'd never seen before. So far, Kazuya had only come up with a few attacks of his own; the rest he'd hand-taught the boy. But this one; it was, for once, incredibly swift. Before he knew what was happening, he was met with an unnaturally fast flying kick, and under the force of the extending leg, and the seventy-eight kilograms of raw muscle hurtling toward him, he was thrown back again.

Once again, he found himself lying on the ground, with Kazuya waiting for him to stand. It was time to teach the cocky bastard a lesson or two in fighting.

Flipping up onto his sandal-clad feet, Heihachi stooped low as he righted himself, then launched upward in a rather powerful and most definitely painful uppercut with his right fist. Kazuya, unsuspecting of the attack, took the full brunt of the fist in the jaw, and cried out in pain as he stumbled backward, landing unceremoniously on the hard concrete ground.

A snarl escaped the younger man's lips as he stood, wiping his mouth on the back of his Gi sleeve. He threw the arm aside violently in disgust, then raised both before him again, blocking whatever Heihachi had to throw at him next. For the moment, neither made a move; they simply waited for the other to fight.

In the front row of the arena, Nina and Jin were shrieking at their comrade at the top of their lungs. Between them sat a large, half-eaten bag of candy, two bags of pink fluffy candy-floss, and two oversized cups of soft drink...they needed the sugar almost as much as the warriors at the centre of the arena did. Jin was appalled; Kazuya was fighting and blocking terribly today. Nina was equally appalled...and wanted to throttle the old bastard for hurting her lover. 

High above them, the massive screens displayed various angles of the fighters in relative close-up for those that were too far away to get a good view. Over the powerful speaker system, every word, every hit, grunt, cry of pain, every breath was broadcast at considerable volume...serving only to make the final battle of the Fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament all the more dramatic.

Finally, after the prolonged period of inactivity from either fighter, Kazuya decided to move. Stepping forward, he feigned a short medium-range punch, only to pull back as Heihachi stepped back to parry it...as he pulled back, his right leg shot up in an almost painfully high roundhouse to strike the old man in the side of the head. For a moment, Heihachi wavered, then collapsed to the ground as he saw stars for just a second or so. As he fell, Kazuya leapt forward with his flying kick again, striking Heihachi in the chest, throwing him into the concrete ground again. 

With a grunt, Heihachi righted himself again, dusting off what little clothing he was wearing quickly before standing guard again. This was terrible – Kazuya was proving to be more difficult than usual. He would soon put an end to that. Surging forth once more, he reached out for Kazuya with his right arm. Mistaking the attack for a punch, Kazuya readied himself to block...but found, in a flash, his head being caught under the old man's arm, bent on his knees, and as a result of the painful grip around his neck, he was unable to breathe...thus unable to defend himself.

Along with half of the crowd, Nina stood in front of her seat, gasping. Clasping both hands over her mouth, she watched on in horror as brilliant yellow sparks flew around the old man's body, and Kazuya's struggles got him seemingly nowhere. She put her hands around her lips like a funnel a second later, crying out toward the centre of the stadium. "Come on Kazuya! Fight him!"

Choking for breath as it was, Kazuya was hardly in a state to even hear her over the din. He managed to choke out his disgust at his father's tactics, however. "You cowardly bastard..."

With that, Heihachi tightened his grip and pulled back at a dangerous angle, snapping Kazuya's neck backward. A unanimous gasp rose from the crowd as the younger man fell back onto the arena floor, lifeless. Smirking, Heihachi stood over him, arms crossed over his immense chest.

"Well, well, look what we have he-NNGH!"

Before he could continue, the raven-haired warrior had swung a leg out whilst lying on the ground, flipped the old man onto his back, and sat on his waist, both legs curled around one of Heihachi's slightly longer legs. Grabbing the ankle with both hands, he forced the leg to bend and pull down at an unnatural angle, wrenching a cry of pain from the old man's throat. 

This time, it was Kazuya's turn to smirk. He stood, rubbing his assaulted neck, and drew his arms in front to guard. Jun Kazama's self defence attacks were useful after all, he decided. "What exactly do we have here, old fart?"

With a snarl, Heihachi got to his feet again, standing uneasily on his mildly damaged leg. If anything, it was painful...but not badly enough to affect his combat efficiency. "You sly little bitch."

That was almost enough to tip Kazuya over the edge...it was that kind of insult, coming from that creep, that was one of the few things that angered him. Without warning, he stepped forward, slamming his left foot into Heihachi's head, the right fist in a high punch into his jaw, the right foot into another high roundhouse, then a final Entrails Smash into the gut...sending Heihachi falling to the ground again. This time, Kazuya came down with a rather violent stomp onto the ground, merely missing Heihachi's chest as he hastily rolled away.

Clambering to his feet, Heihachi wasted no time in returning the favour, despite the dull ache in his midsection after the attacks. Leaping into the air, he kicked out at the younger man with one foot, and using the impact from the attack, he spun around, still in the air, and struck with the other foot on a half revolution. With the sheer force and power behind the attack, Kazuya found himself sprawling to the ground once more, unable to move for a second or so. 

He rolled over a moment after, thankfully, and stood up. Darkly, he chuckled at the situation. "Why do I get the feeling this is going to be one of those fights where we spend more time on our backs than on our feet?"

"Probably because you're a hopeless fighter."

Kazuya snorted. "Hey, who's the one with more injuries?"

It was true...Heihachi was already bleeding in several places, and in comparison, Kazuya had only a few rising bruises and a split lip. It hurt to smirk, so he avoided doing so. Again, he leapt at the older man, coming forth with a fury of punches.

In the audience, Nina and Jin glanced at each other nervously. Shouting above the noise of the crowd, Jin felt the urge to comment; "This is the longest fight so far...unfortunately the odds seem quite even!"

Nina scowled at the old man. "Kazuya will beat him though...he's got better stamina!"

Sighing, Jin watched the fight on the screen for a moment, before looking back down at the actual figures engaged in a brutal punching and kicking session. At the moment, it seemed neither were really going for style, just beating the hell out of the other with haymaker kicks and punches. Heihachi pulled out another violent uppercut which Kazuya only partially blocked, sending him stumbling backward across the arena. Several steps backward, however, and he caught his balance, and ran straight back at the old man. As he got into range, he jumped, raising one knee, and landed a leaping side-kick directly into the old man's chest.

Somehow, it still didn't keep him down; Heihachi got to his feet again, wiping sweat from his brow. Kazuya once again surged forward, ready to attack, but the elder fighter swung around backward, the struck out with a powerful back-fist into the stomach, sending the younger warrior flying backward across the arena again.

By now it was obvious who the crowd was supporting; with each fall of the raven-haired fighter, there was a gasp or a boo. Every time Kazuya landed a significant hit, the crowd roared. Kazuya caught himself as he slid backward, and bounced back onto his feet. It was time to end this; the fight had drawn on too long. Both fighters by now were losing their oomph, and the fight had dragged on for almost five minutes. As Heihachi ran toward him, Kazuya ducked low and stepped forward, fist ready to strike. An opportunity arose as the older fighter was caught off guard with this tactic, and was sent flying high into the air as Kazuya rose with considerable power in the strike...the Demon Godfist. He himself was propelled around a foot into the air with the sheer force of the attack, but landed neatly on his feet. Heihachi, on the other hand, plummeted into the ground far away, and stayed there for what seemed like forever.

The crowd went absolutely berserk; the fight was over. Kazuya slowly approached the figure on the ground a few metres away, trying to ignore the horrible view of the Mawashi from between the old man's legs. He stood beside him from a few feet away, arms folded over his heaving chest.

From the ground, the old eye's snapped open, and stared up at his son. His face displayed his livid anger at his defeat...between his teeth, he snarled; "We...are...not...done...yet..."

Kazuya smirked, and dragged him up by the wrist, throwing him back. The old man stumbled, but caught himself. His breathing was ragged at this point, and he was uncertain on his feet. 

"We _are done...but if you think you must continue, then be my guest. I will only have to kill you."_

With a roar of utter rage, Heihachi threw himself at the shorter man, the fist extending dangerously close to Kazuya's face...surprised, he stepped aside...making way for Heihachi to crumple back to the ground.

The temptation was almost too great; there he was, the man who'd stolen and ruined his life before it had begun, the man who'd tortured and beaten him throughout his youth, the man who's ruined his reputation, caused him to become this loathsome creature...here he was, lying at his feet, defenceless, defeated. All it took was one strike...one decisive blow...to end that wicked life right there and then.

But he saw several things that stopped him before the deadly blow was dealt; the audience, and the people within it. Everyone was already cheering; there was no need to cause bloodshed. Nina, watching on with those beautiful eyes of hers...sure, she was an assassin, a professional killer...but he felt no need to show her his bloodthirsty nature. She already knew of it, he had no need to prove it further by killing. And Jin...the last embers of his saviour's soul...watching on, his face unreadable. Whilst he saw a lot of himself in the boy's visage, he radiated the beauty, compassion and love of Jun Kazama. The innocence, the delicate nature of the late Jun Kazama...it was enough to turn his blood cold at the mere thought of killing...especially in front of such a massive audience.

Finally, with a sigh, he crouched down in front of the old man, pulling his face up at the neck with one hand. For almost eternity, the two exchanged their vehement glares; then Kazuya spoke. "As much as you have tried to make me become you...your efforts have been in vain. I am not like you...I do not kill for no reason. As much as you deserve to die...I won't lower myself to your disgusting level and take even the most vile and undeserving life of them all. As you promised, the Zaibatsu is mine...but your life is yours. Do what you will with your remaining years...but rest assured, if I see you in Japan ever again, the Tekkenshu will hunt you down and destroy you."

He let the old man's head drop to the concrete floor, and with an emotionless visage, he left the arena, and headed back underground to clean up. The Zaibatsu was his. Once again, he'd defeated his archenemy. Once again, he was victorious. But this time, this time, he would not make the same mistake of letting his arrogance get the better of him; he would make the Zaibatsu worth something – honest, and powerful. Heihachi would return, he knew it...but, as he'd learned over the last twenty years, there are so many more punishments so much worse than death.


	20. Otousan

A/N: Whee, another chapter of the vampire story! A bit of background coming in here, and maybe a slight bit of a precursor as to what's coming next. A bit more vampire stuff, hopefully, now that all the Tekken is out of the way.

I'm going to try involving a few more Tekken characters too; characters I don't always use...in some way or another.

***

The hotel function hall was once again decked up and fancied-up enough to be fit for a king; today, it was for the King of Iron Fist. Like a week ago, it was packed with people dressed in their finest clothes, with buffet cocktail tables littered about the room, each lavished with golden and crisp white table cloths and excessive numbers of flower vases; even the massive chandeliers above the crowd had been tended to, with golden-hued spotlights reflecting their light upon the crystals, and down onto the people below.

Nina Williams, sitting contentedly on a chair by a table near the front of the room, was being interviewed by a local TV reporter. One long, creamy leg was propped up over the other, exposing itself from underneath the deep blue satin dress she was wearing. Jin, on the other side of the table, was chatting happily with Miharu rather than staring at the bared skin like he might have in the past. The spare seat at the table was obviously for the one who'd be giving him glares for doing so, after all, and no one knew when he was coming.

Looking rather depressed and disgruntled, Heihachi sat at a table up on the stage behind the lectern. His black tuxedo was obviously tailored just for him, and would have been extremely expensive...but from what the proceedings were about, it would soon become the most expensive thing he owned – if Kazuya let him keep it.

There were guest speakers every now and again for the next hour, between sessions of orchestral music played by a live band; the atmosphere was one of happiness and joy, yet at the same time, as formal as an occasion could get. The scene was making Jin thoroughly uncomfortable, since he wasn't used to wearing so many clothes, such stiff clothes, and clothes that wanted to strangle him. He felt completely out of place. That, and his father didn't seem to know that 'fashionably late' meant just a _little_ late, not _very late._

Finally, he decided to appear; the double doors at the back of the room opened, and claps and cheers erupted from the crowd as the tall Japanese man strode into the hall, in the same colours as everyone else for once. From a distance, Nina was unable to read the expression on his face. It seemed he had gone with the usual stoic, cold, emotionless look, but as he drew closer, she could almost feel the pride radiating from him. He'd defeated his father, that's what was making him feel so good, she knew...not because he was now one of the richest men in the world. 

A foray of cameramen and men and women armed with microphones surged forward and began harassing him with questions, but he didn't even acknowledge their presence. Instead, he pushed past them and headed over to Nina, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. After doing so, he smiled softly at her.

"My, you're in high spirits...I wasn't expecting that."

He smiled a little more. "I'd be happier if I hadn't been held up for an hour fighting off television crews and the like...what did I miss?"

She leaned back coyly, resting one elbow on the table next to her, and at the same time, exposing her cleavage. "Oh, nothing but a whole pile of boring speakers...I think the only interesting speech is going to be yours."

He glanced down at his watch. "Well...I don't think you'll have time to get bored with mine." 

"Good...I've heard enough speeches for one evening."

Smiling again, he headed off toward the stage where Heihachi was seated, and, reluctantly, sat in the seat next to him. Another speaker stepped forward and began explaining the situation; what was to be handed over, the rules and requirements of the Japanese government in the decision, and various other boring regulations to a half-interested audience. The feeling of revolt began to rise in the back of Heihachi's throat as the man droned on...he was going to lose everything to that wretched son of his. He'd maintained the Zaibatsu for so many years, and now, because of his mistake in luring Kazuya out, he was going to be forced to give it all away. He didn't deserve this, did he?

Kazuya, on the other hand, was feeling violated by even being close to the old man...he felt dirty by being within that creature's space, and had to resist the urge to go to the other side of the room. Admittedly, it would be one hell of a night to get through, what with all the legalities to get through; it wouldn't be a short evening by any means. 

Over the next half an hour, the scene became that of formal seriousness and filled to the brim with legal jargon. Document after document was signed by various persons, promises were made, and each of the Mishima men was required to speak. Heihachi's grudging speech was almost depressing...he managed to make most of the audience feel guilty for supporting the Zaibatsu's change of hands...for the time being. As Kazuya spoke, their minds, in most cases, were changed. Heihachi was a cruel, ruthless man, and while he maintained the company, it was in cold blood and, sometimes, with criminal intent. 

More documents were signed after this, just when it seemed to be winding down. Jin glanced over at Nina in dismay, and she only reflected the same expression. Miharu stirred slightly on his lap as he sighed, but snuggled back up against his chest a moment later, falling back to sleep. _If only I were so lucky,_ he thought to himself, watching her in peaceful slumber. 

"Tell you what; I'll be lucky if either of us will be awake by the time this is over. No luck for Nina tonight..." she whispered to Jin, smiling somewhat. 

Jin pulled a face, but smirked. "You're not meant to talk about that stuff with me!" He whispered in return, not particularly wanting to know about his dad's love life. 

"Aww phooey...you're not fun!"

Again, things seemed to wind down, and by now, a small portion of the audience had already left. Kazuya glanced over to the man sitting next to him, who seemed to be trying to hold his dinner down, and making quite a job of it too. As he signed his name to the very last document, something caught his attention. _Familiarity. It was something familiar. That was the annoyance of the curse; this sixth sense. He could never quite explain it; he knew there was a presence – it made him feel nostalgic, warm, safe, yet at the same time, on edge and very aware of his surroundings. It was someone ne knew, and from the way he was feeling...it was someone of his kind._

For the time being, he ignored that presence, and concentrated on the task at hand. The papers were taken from him, and a speaker began to close the ceremony. Heihachi beside him sighed loudly and sank even lower on his chair. Somehow, something deep inside Kazuya compelled him to feel just a little bit sorry for this creature...but the rest of him was too busy laughing. Finally, justice had been served; there was no room for sympathy.

Then, there was that feeling again. This time, his dark eyes snapped up toward the back wall...that someone was over there. Images of the volcano flashed before his eyes, forcing him to blink sharply and sit back in surprise. Thankfully, no one really noticed, from what he could see. The images remained; memories of falling, feeling his flesh burn, choking weakly in the haze. Then the feeling of a cool touch – a cold hand on his shoulder – frighteningly comforting, considering the volcano had been unbearably hot...

He knew who that someone was, now. No doubt he was here to lecture him too...but he'd have to leave it until later. Somehow, he lost interest in the occasion completely. Thankfully, it was ending, and people were leaving...as he stepped down to go home, the reporters charged at him again...but found getting through the crowd already around him quite difficult. After answering a few questions and managing to escape the few remaining fan-girls (oh how he hated their kind) he left the building, somehow managing to evade too much more unwanted attention.

Perhaps it was how well he blended into the night; as if he didn't exist.

Surprisingly no one followed him; he made his way out into the cool night are alone, since Nina and Jin had already returned home. The reporters had finally got the message and left him to himself, and almost everyone else had gone home already as well. 

The night's proceedings had left his mind in somewhat of a turmoil. He'd defeated his father, finally, but he'd allowed him to live. He was now CEO of the Zaibatsu, but he didn't particularly want it. He finally had people he cared about, yet still he felt alone. There was so much to think about, to consider, to do...it was a good thing he was happiest at night, and intended to spend the night awake, or he'd find himself at a loss as to how to force himself to sleep. 

As he made his way casually through Tokyo's city streets, he knew someone was there. Everywhere he went, each way he turned, he could sense that presence. It was like the lingering sensation of a touch against his back; trails from fingers still silently searing against his skin, as soft as snowfall. He couldn't hear them at all, yet somehow he could hear their every breath, every beat of their heart.

He followed his instincts and headed down darker streets; the lack of street lights, other than the massive roadside lamps, ensured the atmosphere was one of a dark, dreary orange. The presence still lingered. 

Finally, he stopped, still looking directly ahead. The presence came no closer, went no further.

"You're just going to keep on following me, aren't you?" His deep voice was so quiet it could barely be heard.

A masculine voice, nowhere near as deep as his own, replied. "If I have to..." 

Kazuya turned around half way, and looked over his suited shoulder. Standing behind him was a rather lanky-looking man, barely an adult – if that at all. He was most definitely Japanese in origin, though he didn't look anything like modern-day youths. His dark hair was long, and drawn back into a ponytail behind his head; there was almost something old-world about him.

Turning around, Kazuya sighed softly and folded his arms over his chest. "What is it you're going to lecture me about this time?"

The youth headed into the shadows without any further words; Kazuya followed. As he too entered the darkened area, he saw him sitting on a brick ledge in front of an iron-barred window, sitting at ground level. "Kazuya-kun, I'm sure you know what I'm going to say..."

He sat down next to the smaller man, resting his arms over his knees. "About associating with mortals?"

Nodding, the youth shifted so he could rest his elbows against his legs. "When I found you, of course I had no idea what sort of a person you'd turn out to be – I'd never met you. Of course, I realised very quickly how...antisocial, you tend to be. I was actually happy at the idea; because it was highly likely you wouldn't involve yourself with mortals."

Kazuya frowned at the ground. "This is the twenty-first century, not the eighteenth. People aren't as anti-undead as you would imagine any longer."

"I know, but it's best they don't know. There are still slayers, still haters, still those who hide behind their prejudice like a shield, saving them from the unknown. They don't understand, mortals...they assume." A moment of silence hung over the two before the youth continued. "That young blonde woman I've seen you with..."

"Nina?"

With the mention of a name, the younger man sighed again, hanging his head slightly. "Yes, if that's her name; Nina. I feel sadness whenever I see you with her...you're exposing yourself to her and her kind so much; it may be your end. I can tell she's dangerous..."

"She's an assassin." Kazuya could already see where this was leading. 

"All the more reason for me to be worried about you." Kazuya could feel the dark eyes against him, silently pleading with him. "Please, Kazuya...don't get too close, if you must continue to be close to her. If she finds out..."

"She already knows."

After another uneasy silence, Kazuya felt cold hands against his cheeks. He looked up to see the youth staring down at him with troubled eyes. "Kazuya..." It seemed he'd found himself lost for words. "Kazuya, you're like my son...I can't stand seeing you in such danger..."

He reached up and wrapped one of his larger hands around a bony wrist, and gently pulled it away. "Eimin, you may be older and wiser than me, and you may have created me, so to speak...but you can never again understand how I feel...I'm still human." The hands left his face, and Eimin silently fell to his knees in front of him. "I'm double-cursed; what took my humanity away to begin with now ensures I keep what little I have left. The demon spirit stops the curse of the undead from robbing me of it..."

Eimin knew it was true; but still, in the sense of the undead, Kazuya was his son. He'd saved him from certain death in that volcano, and delivered certain death in another way; rebirth into a new realm. 

"I've also just won the most gruelling tournament the world has to offer...I'm more than capable of looking after myself. I'm not a child..." The look of defeat on the other man's face made him feel almost guilty for doing something so seemingly harmless.

"Alright, Kazuya." He sighed again, and reached up to wrap his arms around the larger man's shoulders. "Just...don't die, okay? You're my first, you know? The first I've ever given this life to...you're the most precious possession I have."

Despite being called a possession, despite being hugged overly affectionately, despite this almost child-like treatment, Kazuya tolerated every moment of it, and responded with an arm around Eimin's waist. "You'd be surprised...I have a knack for surviving the most treacherous of conditions and situations. Need I remind you of the fall I withstood as a child, or your rescue of me from the volcano? I took out the gang that had us as a bounty too, with the help of my son and Nina." He ran the fingers of his free hand through Eimin's hair once, then sat it back down on the ledge. The undead, after all, were affectionate toward each other – Kazuya was considered rather antisocial by them in general. "If a skinny little creature like you can survive two and a half centuries, I can survive twice that."

The arms around him tightened for a moment, then released; he felt a soft kiss against his forehead. Eimin actually smiled as he stood. There was pride and love in those eyes, despite the inherent darkness of their kind mingling amongst the emotions. "Alright, I believe you. You are the King of Iron Fist, there's little that can get in your way."

Kazuya chuckled and stood as well. "You know Eimin...you're much more of a father than that bastard Heihachi ever was. I think I might as well adopt you as my father..." The last comment was meant as a joke, but he was half-serious. Eimin had, after all, endlessly cared for him, taught him all he needed to know, and stayed eternally patient. Kazuya, after all, was also known for being stubborn. He still refused to harm a human and use them as sustenance meaninglessly, no matter how much he'd been almost forced to do otherwise. 

Before they parted, Eimin gave him another tight hug. It was a situation in reverse; a teenager was father of a man who seemed to be almost thirty years old. Saying nothing further, Eimin disappeared off into the shadows, and Kazuya headed back toward the hotel. It would be their last night here. In the morning, Heihachi would be moving out, and Kazuya and his newly acquired family would be moving in. 

***  
  
When he did get back, the lights were out and he was greeted by the sounds of two people snoring. Jin was by the window, passed out in his boxer shorts with the covers kicked off, and Nina was snuggled up in Kazuya's bed. Obviously she'd expected him to be home just a little bit earlier, probably to get a little 'work' done...but had fallen asleep long ago.

As he took off the majority of his clothing and hung it up in the wardrobe, he watched her silently as she slept. It was pitch black in the room, but he could see her perfectly. So beautiful, so peaceful; he hadn't the heart to wake her by climbing in beside her. She was his deadly angel. Besides, his instincts were urging him to venture back out into the night and feed. He would do the former of the two; but as usual, never the latter. His hunger and cooling flesh would have to stay there, for the sake of innocent humans.

He climbed out of the remainders of the tuxedo and pulled on a casual shirt and baggy trousers, before venturing out into the night once more. He might as well get some of the Zaibatsu work done now, since he would feel drained and weakened during tomorrow's daylight. Sometimes it didn't bother him too much, the sunlight that is, but other times, especially on particularly sunny days, he felt a hundred years old. Work was never fun in those conditions.

So, leaving his two sleeping beauties out cold in the hotel room, he silently slipped out and to the main Zaibatsu office in the heart of the city.


	21. Interlude: Fossils

A/N: This is an interlude; this has as much to do with the storyline as the DBZ movies have to do with the show. It fits a timeline, it uses the characters...then it goes off at a tangent.

This is a little crossover with Soul Calibur II I've made...I've been wanting to do it for a while, too. But I've been at a loss because I didn't know the characters, and didn't have the right Kazuya to use. Most of them are often depicted as being nasty and cold...but I can't do that. And I couldn't leap into my normal scene with no basis, I'd get flamed for being OOC. So, I've used one of my favourite interpretations; the vampire.

After all, a medieval creature would fit into the storyline better than the regular Kazuya. There's a link here, y'see? *wink*

And damn Heihachi for getting a part in SCII without Kazuya! Oh well, here's my response to it. *pulls down pants and flashes cheeks at Namco*

Speaking of which...I still dun own Tekken! *continues to flash butt*  
  
***

Kazuya sat at his expansive office desk, chin resting heavily in one palm, listening 'intently' as the annoying little man droned on before him. The Japanese man's voice trembled as he spoke, and his hands fiddled endlessly. Yes, it was obvious he was nervous about having to speak to the new boss in person. Kazuya could feel it clearly, and merely stayed silent in an effort to appear benevolent...but it really was difficult, considering the topic at hand.

Apparently, his father had returned to Japan. Whoop-dee-do. Apparently, he was at a resort up north with his pet bear, Kuma. Yayness gayness. Apparently, he'd vanished. By the time he'd learned all of this pointless information, he was about ready to fall asleep. It was only when someone interrupted the babbling messenger that things started to liven up.

The authorities at the scene of the disappearance had found a small, sharp metal fragment. It was the last place Heihachi had been seen, and apparently the bear that he'd been with wouldn't leave the spot the old chunk of metal had been found. One could assume the fragment had something to do with the disappearance.

The teams of investigators there had conducted a few quick tests – there was a strange energy emanating from the fragment, but it wasn't radiation of any kind they'd encountered. The alloy it was made of was too stable to emit any form of alpha or beta particles anyway. A few people described 'bad vibes' coming from it; after further investigation, it would seem that there was a temporal field being emitted from it.

Kazuya needed no further persuasion; he left immediately with the two men, and headed to the resort, around an hour's drive north of Tokyo.

***  
  
As he stepped out into the main reception area of the resort, already he could see the effects of the mysterious disappearance. There were uniformed policemen rushing about, inspectors and agents from various firms and forms of authority, and of course, a hefty supply of scientists. And this was just in the lobby!

He followed his two guys out into the hot springs area, which was roped off with blue and white plastic tape. One flashed an ID card, and the three were allowed inside the enclosure. At the centre, a large brown grizzly-bear sat on the grass, looking decidedly depressed. Ah, of course, Kuma was still here. It had been about three hours since Heihachi's desertion too. He knew the original Kuma hated him, but this one might be a little different. He walked over to the creature – most people were keeping their distance – and only stopped when it looked up at him.

"Kuma, you're still here?" He smiled at the bear. In return, he got a soft growl...almost like a depressed moan. If anything, his interest in this mysterious fragment – he cared not for his father – had developed into just a little pity for the poor animal. He'd lost his master, after all. 

He stepped forward after a moment, and petted the bear's head. The creature froze, then sniffed at him. There was something bizarre about this man, it could tell...but when it felt the man's fingers scratching behind its ear, it melted and leaned against him with a low grunt of submission. Kazuya reminded it of Heihachi somehow...his master. Maybe he was as nice as the old man too. 

After a while, someone dared to approach him. It was a dangerous combination; the world's best fighter – according to the tournament – and one of the richest men, standing next to a grizzly bear.

"Mishima-sama, we've done a few more tests in the lab over there," he indicated with one finger at the white gazebo set up a little way off, "And we've come to realise that this is a fragment from an ancient weapon."

He arched a brow. "A weapon? What does this have to do with Heihachi's disappearance?"

"We believe that this is a piece of a sword renowned in classic tales for its 'evil' energy."

Again, Kazuya found himself a little lost. At this moment too, he noticed the tops of his ears were burning. Damn sunlight; he could only withstand so much of it. It was making him feel rather uncomfortable, to say the least. "Perhaps we ought to talk about this inside the 'lab' you've set up."

The man nodded, and the two of them headed over to the gazebo. Surprisingly, Kuma got up and followed...much to the silent and poorly masked horror of the scientist leading the two deadly beings. "Of course, sir."

Within the comforting shade of the lab, Kazuya stood alongside several lab coat-clad men and women, and a few private inspectors. Much of the conversation was way above his understanding – mostly the theories behind the fragment. What he did understand, however, was the story that took place during the explanation.

The man that had come to him was explaining their theory. "In medieval times, there was a legend about a massive sword that men and women revelled as the 'ultimate weapon'. Its name was Soul Edge, and was known for radiating the power of 'evil'. After disasters related to its use, it was locked away behind three gates across three towns...now believed to be in Europe. It was the source of many wars and disasters throughout time, but in the last hundred years, nothing has been heard of its legend."

Eimin's tales of something similar sparked up in Kazuya's mind. Perhaps this wasn't a fairytale sword after all. 

"We believe that this is one of the only pieces of the sword left on the planet. It would explain all of the issues that have arisen from this whole disappearance..."

The creature within him knew this energy, so it seemed. The demon within had long since been dormant – since his rebirth – but the creature he'd become, one of the undead, felt the energy like no human could imagine. It was like a person's presence; an evil person's presence. And that was just from the fragment!

He reached down, and gently picked it up. Between both hands, he rotated it around, inspecting it, admiring it. The sharp edges could cut flesh easily; his guess was that it was from near the hilt of the sword too, since the fragment was thick. Along one edge, there was human blood. He could smell it, though there was little there.

He furrowed his brows slightly. "Have you taken a sample of this blood?"

One of the white-clad men nodded. "Yes, Mishima-sama. DNA testing leads us to believe it belongs to your father." 

The fragment glittered in the dimmed light as he turned it this way and that, still admiring it. "Perhaps the energy emanated from it is what caused him to disappear. If he cut himself on it, it would allow his body to be flooded with this...Ki..."

At that moment, Kuma let out a loud whine and slumped heavily against Kazuya's back. Surprised, he jumped slightly and stumbled forward – at the same time, his grasp on the fragment closed. The sharp edges of the metal cut into his hand painfully. Sensing its mistake, the bear sat back up again, watching in curiosity. Blood trickled in dark crimson trails down his hand, between his fingers, and in little drops onto the floor. Whoops, that was not supposed to happen.

Just when everyone had thought nothing would become of the situation, the piece of Soul Edge dropped from Kazuya's hand. The reason being...his hand was no longer there. Somehow, it had completely vanished. Several gasps resulted...including one from himself. The entire lab could only watch on in horror as slowly the rest of his arm slowly vanished, as if dissolving into thin air. The rest of him followed much faster; within a second or so, his entire body disappeared in a brilliant flash of light, leaving nothing but a blood-smeared chunk of metal lying on the ground, and a stunned audience.

***  
  


One moment he was dissolving inside a makeshift lab on a Japanese resort, and now he found himself lying on the grass somewhere completely different, with a bleeding hand. Disoriented, he forced himself to sit up and examine the wounded hand. There were several slices through his flesh, but nothing he couldn't fix. Blood is not to wasted, after all, and he quickly healed the wounds – or tried to. His dark gift often refused to work in daylight, and today was no different. 

With great effort, he managed to seal off the wounds, but was unable to further repair the damage. He would make a job of it later...for now, it was time to figure out where the heck he was.

Or he would have, if he didn't find the point of a traditional Chinese sword being pointed at him, a mere inch or so from the tip of his nose. When he looked up in response, he saw an Asian youth staring down at him threateningly; his bright red hair only fuelled the aggressive image.

"You'd better not try anything stupid, or I'll do you some serious damage..."


	22. Exchange

A/N: Once again it's been a while since you've heard from me, hasn't it? I've had pretty bad writer's block for the last few months, and I've been caught up in art, school and websites. But here I am, with new inspiration, updating old stories and starting new ones. Enjoy!  
  
***

The process of reclaiming the Zaibatsu had been as difficult as he'd anticipated. Kazuya, flustered and exhausted, stood and watched beneath the shade of the mansion's upper balcony as workmen moved things in and out of the main doors. Clothes and personal possessions belonging to Heihachi were being shifted out, and what little Kazuya owned was being taken upstairs. Nina and Jin were also having their belongings carted inside, and the both of them had made themselves rather comfortable on the front lawn, watching as the job was done.

Kazuya himself wasn't looking his best. Whilst his appearance was impeccable – his shirt buttoned to the top, fastened with a dark blue tie, his hair swept back perfectly – he looked at least ten years older, painfully tired, and deadly pale. Something about him also seemed to say that one gust of wind might tip him over. Nina watched him from the corner of her eye as he stood there. So far, she'd never seen him quite so sickly in daylight, and for that, she was rather concerned.

The top gates by the courtyard's entrance swung open, and a traditionally dressed Heihachi Mishima strode through. He too was flustered and exhausted, but seemed to have oodles more energy than his pallid son. He marched over to the truck being loaded up with his belongings, and had a good shout at one of the workmen merely doing their job. An air of raw frustration emanated from the elderly Mishima. 

Kazuya merely watched in mild amusement as the old man hurried the workers on, barking at them harshly in Japanese to be careful with his gear, and to 'hurry the hell up'. Nina chuckled to herself and relaxed on the grass, lying down and exposing more of her ample cleavage through the halter neck top she was wearing. Jin, on the other hand, pretended to completely ignore his grandfather. 

After a while, Heihachi spotted the younger Mishima standing below the balcony in the shade. The mere sight of him was enough to make his blood curdle. He made a distinct effort to remain as far away as possible from Kazuya, but at the same time, within range required to continue supervising the removal of his belongings. 

The tension in the air grew substantially as time passed, and everyone, including the workers, was suffering from its intensity. An awful silence had grasped the peaceful atmosphere by the throat. Eventually it became so intense that Nina had to break the silence, for the sake of her own sanity.

"How much stuff _are you taking with you anyway? That's the second truck that's been filled!"_

Heihachi turned and snorted gruffly at the blonde woman, unable to help noticing what she _wasn't hiding with that shirt on. "I'm taking all that belongs to me...I'm not letting that scoundrel keep the things that _I_ have bought!"_

She rolled her eyes and hummed to herself, soaking up the sunlight. "Have it your way. We don't want your stinky old furniture anyway."

He seemed to ignore her comments, and instead, turned his attention to his grandson. "You've been quiet, Jin..."

"I have nothing to say to you." He kept his back turned toward the old man.

"I'm your grandfather, you should show me some respect!"

For a moment, Jin was silent. Should he grace him with a response? "You've earned none."

Heihachi was doing his best to contain his bitter rage. The situation was bad enough, but with the people he hated the most in the same courtyard as he? It was almost too vile to handle. "_He's_ the one who's earned none, but you follow him around like a duckling..." He motioned violently toward his son.

 Jin's cheeks reddened with anger. Somehow, he managed to swallow the rage and simply balled his hands into fists. "He's done more to earn my respect than you'll ever have."

There was a tense silence. Heihachi's voice, in a deep growl, broke it finally, as he spoke his words painfully slowly. "What did he do, exactly?"

Now even Kazuya was watching, as was every one of the workers in the area. 

"He loves me...as a father should..."

Heihachi's blood boiled, but he managed to maintain his calm. "Love is for the weak, Jin. You were always too weak, too emotional to become anything great. You're just like that wretched father of yours." The old man turned on his heels, barked at a worker to hurry up, and marched right out of the courtyard, and down the long driveway winding through the lush Japanese gardens outside the mansion. 

Moments of intense silence prevailed before anyone dared to speak. The atmosphere was thick enough to choke on...for a few seconds, even the birds seemed to stop chirping within the mood of dread. 

Kazuya sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "Funny, that. Who's the old man all alone?"

Despite the darkness in the air, Nina chuckled. "Emotion's not a weakness, it's our strength. It's what gives us enough rage and determination to get a good job done..." 

"Well, that, and the compassion to break the cycle." Jin's voice was still soft and subdued, though this time, because he was engrossed in thought. "I could have stayed like I was...I originally hated him and you equally..." His dark eyes glanced up at his father, with almost a tinge of guilt within. "But when I overheard that conversation in the dojo, I decided to give it a chance. Why start another generation of son hating father?"

Even though he felt like he might fall over any moment, Kazuya smiled. "It would never have worked the same though, because I'm not quite ready to torment someone for no reason."

Nina grinned and sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees. "What about people who deserve it?"

"You bet I would." He grinned back. "I'm not someone you cross the wrong path with..."

No one disputed that fact. Especially the workers carrying gear to and fro, who immediately hurried up considerably with their duties.   
  
***  
  


With all old gear moved out, and the new already put inside, there was nothing left to do for the rest of the day. While the others basked in the afternoon sunlight outside, Kazuya made his weary way inside, upstairs, and into the room he'd decided would be his bedroom. It wasn't the master bedroom, of course, since that was where the Old Man used to reside...instead, he'd set aside a large enough room at the other end of the hall. It was bigger than the room he had as a child in this old place, and far away from the memories from the past. 

His suitcase was still lying on the double bed at the centre of the room. He sat down beside it and opened it, pulling out clothes and tossing them into a pile on the bed. After the suitcase was empty, he shoved it onto the floor with a loud clatter, and flopped back exhaustedly against the thick, plush bedcovers. He felt completely drained today. Good thing the curtains were closed, because he was sure he'd be burning in the sunlight if they weren't. It was one of those days, it seemed. 

For what seemed like forever he just stayed lying on the centre of the bed, half-asleep, his mind racing through thought after thought. How could such a warrior feel so weak and drained of energy, of life? He knew days like this came once in a while, but it didn't make him enjoy them. 

A second later, he was blinded by brilliant white light.

"Good heavens, you're lying in the dark with this mess?"

He shielded his assaulted eyes with his arm, and sat up. "Nina...turn that light of, will you?"

She was already busy tidying up the pile of clothes he'd created, and was folding the clean clothes into a set of drawers at the end of the room. "I won't be able to see what I'm doing, sweetie..."

Yes, it was one of those days alright. He groaned and rolled over, plopping the nearest pillow over his head. He felt so _shitty_ today. 

After the drawers stopped slamming, and Nina had stopped crashing about, he felt someone sit beside him. He was too tired to respond...so Nina placed her hand on his backside and petted a little. "You okay?"

"No, I feel like shit." His voice was somewhat muffled from beneath the pillow. 

She'd thought so...he was so pale earlier on, and rather sluggish in comparison to his normal energetic self. She reached over and turned the light off before pulling the pillow off his head. Of course, she encountered no resistance, and rolled him over onto his back. "You just need a good feed and a good day's sleep and you'll feel fine in no time." She leaned down and gently kissed his lips, then nuzzled his cool cheek with a coy smile. "I know you do..."

How could he resist this time? As she leaned across him, offering her neck to him, he brushed aside the golden locks of hair with his cold fingertips, taking in that delicate feminine scent he'd quickly learned to adore. The soft, warm flesh of her neck pressed against his cool lips...he didn't hesitate to open his mouth, and press those long canines against the smooth skin offered to him. Once again, the warm life-giving liquid flowed past his lips and down his throat, and he lapped at her neck hungrily as more came. 

Still, with the sustenance supplied to him, he didn't feel much better. He let her sit back up, but instead, she turned and snuggled down next to him. Her body's warmth made him feel a little sleepy and relaxed...he wrapped an arm around her waist, and let himself doze off. Or at least, tried – she responded by giggling and squirming a little. No chance of falling asleep with that going on. He peeked up at her with one open eye, and she grinned in return. 

"Don't tell me you're going to sleep this lovely afternoon away..."  
  
He rolled his eyes and rolled over to face away. "I don't like afternoons." That was normally a lie, but not today. 

"Aww...well Jin and I are going to see what else we need to get for the house, we'll be going down to the shopping centre in a while...should we just let you sleep?"

He nodded weakly and yawned. "That's a good idea. You two have fun..."

Nina leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "We will...see you later." Before leaving, she gave his butt a little squeeze, then made her way downstairs to find Jin.

After she'd gone, Kazuya kicked his shoes off, then flopped back down on the bed. It only took him a few seconds to fall fast asleep. When the sun goes down tonight, he'll feel human once again – or as much as is possible in his current condition.


End file.
